The League
by Sachiko26
Summary: Bella, an average college student, meets an extraordinary guy. Her life becomes anything but average as he shows her the truly magic side of life. But as she approaches her 21st birthday, she realizes magic might be in her blood
1. Just Ordinary

1\. Just Ordinary

The wind was blowing strong as she approached the edge of the cliff. The breeze rustled the tops of the trees, lifted the scent of earth off the ground, and pushed her hair wildly around her face. Most people would try to tame the feral strands, bound them neat and proper, tucked behind her ears. But she already knew; you can't contain what is meant to be free.

The gusts pushed her like a playful friend, goading her to test her limits. She stepped forward. The tension slowly left her shoulders. She stepped forward. Her body relaxed and her eyes closed; she trusted the pull to lead her where she was meant to go. She steadied herself by digging her feet sturdily into the rich soil and then jumped metaphorically, mentally, physically, into the beautiful, dangerous, and wild unknown.

Bella executed a perfect dive into the ocean. With barely a splash, she entered the chilly murky depths. She let herself float suspended in the water for a few seconds enjoying the weightlessness and silence before emerging to the surface greeted by the hoots and hollers of her friends.

"And the judges scores?" called a bikini clad girl floating on a lounger.

Three guys held three sets of tens in the air with their fingers.

"A perfect score! Ladies and gentlemen we have our cliff diving winner! Bring her the 6 pack of beer trophy!"

Bella did a few mock bows appeasing the rambunctious crowd. It was a warm summer day in mid-August. Even with the brisk breeze, the water felt refreshing in contrast to the heat. She soaked up all the water and rays she could get. It would be a while before she had the chance to come back. Bella and her fellow classmates were enjoying the last free weekend before starting classes again at the local college.

Bella, in her mind, was extremely average. While she was well liked by her peers, she wasn't popular. Some had called her beautiful in the past, but she always felt more comfortable being considered pretty. She was intelligent, but didn't really see any reason to apply herself more than a satisfactory level. All in all, just normal.

But sometimes, normal wasn't quite enough for her. Bella would get an itch. It would start at her finger tips leaving a tingling feeling spreading through her arms, it would reach her brain and she felt like she received a dose of pure oxygen, it would disperse through her legs and she felt like she could float right off the ground. For just a few precious moments, Bella thought she could achieve the extraordinary, that there was more to life than just believing you had to coast your way through.

And then reality hit her with a strong dose. She remembered she was just ordinary.

Bella swam away from the drop zone as she saw people begin to queue up on top of the cliff to jump into the ocean.

She lazily breast stroked towards her group. Jessica tossed her a floating ring as she approached. She gracefully dove underneath the ring and popped up in the middle then splayed the top half of her body on the flotation device.

"That was quite a dive, Swan," Tyler observed with a hint of jealousy. There was nothing graceful about Tyler's belly flop. His stomach was still sore from the impact.

"Bask in the presence of greatness my friend, a little of it might rub off on you," Bella smugly responded.

"Ha ha ha, well I can still pound a beer faster than any of you fools!" he threw back triumphantly while grabbing one of Bella's trophy beers.

"Tyler, everyone knows who the true fool of the group is," Jessica said.

"Speaking of drinking," Angela interrupted before the bickering began, "Bell's 21st birthday is coming up soon! What's the plan?!"

"The plan is to ignore it's my birthday and instead spend the whole day in bed with Netflix and Trader Joe's microwave food," Bella responded.

"Absolutely not!" Jessica cried, offended at the suggestion. "We will be going out, dresses, heels and all!"

"Well, you'll have to give me some time to find my heels. Haven't worn them in a while," Eric joked.

"Take as much time as you need, I wouldn't want those shapely legs in heels," Bella laughed.

The group floated the afternoon away. Jessica continued to try to plan extravagant things for Bella's birthday, Bella shot down every idea. Eric tried flirted with Angela. Tyler flirted with everyone. All in all, a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

When the sun started setting and the water began to turn cold, they reluctantly dragged themselves out of the ocean.

Angela, Jessica, Eric, and Tyler climbed into a black Honda CRV and said their goodbyes to Bella as they made their way back to the apartments. Bella drove separately. She wanted to visit her dad before classes started again and the drive would be cut in half if she left directly from the beach.

She dried herself off as best she could and placed a sun dress over her swimsuit before getting into her blue Ford Focus and beginning the drive. The sun set faster than expected, and it wasn't long till the moon was out and darkness settled.

The drive to her dad's house took a quiet, windy road through mountain-like terrain. As a police officer, he preferred seclusion and a place where he could sit on his porch, beer in hand, and be able to listen to the sounds of nature instead of cars rushing by on a freeway.

The plant life around the highway became wilder and more untamed; it was how Bella knew she was close to home. She had the radio playing, but once you reached this high in elevation, radio stations had a harder time coming through. Once the music started skipping with intermittent static, she decided to switch over to her iPod. On a flat piece of road, Bella took her eyes of the road for a quick second to grab it from her purse. Once she had it in hand, she looked back to the road.

Out of nowhere, Bella's headlights reflected off a large deer directly in the middle of the road only 100 feet away. The highway could barely fit the two lanes; there was no ditch, just a small barrier and edge of a cliff. She didn't swerve, there was no room. She couldn't drive to the other side of the road; the deer was smack dab in the middle. She couldn't avoid it nor had enough time to brake; she was going to hit it.

'How silly,' she thought, 'to die by deer.'

She took her foot off the accelerator, closed her eyes, and braced for impact. Her body began to feel like it was humming, her blood itching, pulsing.

1…

2…

3…

And…

Nothing.

She opened her eyes again. She slammed on the brakes and her car came to a screeching halt. The humming feeling was gone, but replaced by the panic of almost being in an accident. Both of her hands were clutching the wheel tightly, iPod dropped and forgotten somewhere on the floor of the car. She took a deep breath and slowly opened her car door. She got out and stood on the side of the empty road. She looked back and in the dark could see the two glowing eyes of the deer still standing directly in the middle of the road, almost as if it didn't move at all.

But it had to have moved. If it stayed still she would have hit it, no doubt about it. It must have been an extremely fast deer, to move to the side to avoid being hit and then taking up the same exact position as before. It was a deer with a death wish.

Bella waited till her heart beat at a normal pace, before getting back in the car and finishing the drive to her Dad's, staying extremely vigilant for any other kamikaze animals in the night.

Bella pulled up behind her Dad's police cruiser on the rocky driveway. The motion sensor light on top of the garage door turned on and illuminated her car. She got out and did a quick circuit around her car, checking for damage or evidence that maybe she side swiped the deer. There was nothing. She was still shaking her head as she climbed up the stairs to her dad's house.

She let herself inside with a spare key.

"Hi Bells, good timing, I just finished with dinner. What's up, you look confused?"

Bella walked over to her dad's kitchen and gave him a quick kiss on the check.

"I just had a strange experience on the road, that's all. What's for dinner?"

"Cream of mushroom chicken with rice. Set the table?"

"Sure." She walked over to the cabinet and picked out a few bright blue dishes to set up on the 4 person dining room table.

The house was a very small, comfortable home. The first floor had a modest size family room, kitchen, and dining room. Nothing was extremely pristine or clean. You could tell it had been lived in, but in all the best ways. Near the window, you could see where a young Bella had taken markers to the wall to create her masterpiece. A layer of paint was hastily spread over it, but over time the white faded so you could still see all the squiggles underneath. Adjacent to the frame of the bathroom doorway had been the markings of Bella's height through the year, a timeless tradition she still continued even in her 20's. And everywhere were small touches of her mother, the flower patterns stitched into the sheer window curtains, the light scent of a vanilla and pear candles Charlie bought without fail every two months because it was her favorite smell, and the hideously tacky couch throw pillows of kittens playing in a Christmas sled Renee absolutely had to have when she passed by them at a local flea market. But the most treasured piece of all was a photo on the mantle of the fireplace of Charlie, Renee, and a five year old Bella, all three in huge smiles and giggles pictured on the porch of the house.

Bella missed her mother every second of every day. Her memories of Renee might be blurry from time, but the love she had for her never dulled.

Charlie and Bella quickly fell into an easy conversation as they took their places at the dinner table. He talked about the local news he picked up from working at the police department. She glossed over the recent adventures her and her friends had before starting school again.

"I trust you're staying safe and not getting yourself into any trouble," he gave her the stern father look while taking a sip of his beer.

"Of course, Dad. Nothing dangerous, just the harmless fun undergrads get into," she conveniently forgot about mentioning the cliff diving, all the alcohol fueled ragers, and a particularly fun instance of motorcrossing through the forest.

"And you're ready for school to start again?"

"Ready? Unfortunately. Happy about it? Definitely not." She took a final bite of the creamy rice. He may not be a gourmet chef, but he sure knew how to whip up good comfort food.

"Well I know one thing you must be happy about."

"Hmm?"

"Your birthday of course. My little girl turning another year older in only a few weeks!"

"Ugh, not you too. I've been beating Jessica off with a stick all afternoon about birthday plans," Bella muffled out while chewing her food.

"Oh that Jessica, she's a quirky one, isn't she. But to her credit, it's exciting. It's not every day someone turns legal age."

"Technically someone does turn legal age every day," Bella smirked back.

"Okay, okay, smart aleck, why don't you and your college brain see if you can figure out how to do the dishes." Charlie gave a good natured chuckle while stacking his empty plate on top of hers.

Ten minutes later, Bella was drying her hands on a towel, while Charlie was bringing two gift wrapped bags down from his bedroom.

"Oh Dad, you didn't."

"Now stop with that. Of course I did. It's my only daughter's birthday. It will be a cold day in hell I don't give you a gift for your birthday. And I know I'm not going to see you for a little while, so no fuss and let this old man do what makes him happy. Sit down with me. There are a few stories that go with these gifts." He gestured to their couch, lovingly placing the kitten throw pillows on the adjacent armchair so there was enough room for both of them and the gifts.

Bella settled in on the couch, crossing her legs in front of her so she could face him.

"Now this one here is from me, no explanation necessary." He pushed a neon pink bag in her direction. Bella had a quick internal laugh. Even after years of being a father, he still struggled with the 'girl' department picking out colors and patterns Bella wouldn't choose in a million years. But his determination to continually try despite many, many failures was just one of a billon reasons why she loved him.

She pulled the frightening matching neon pink tissue paper out from on top of the bag and revealed a brand new 13'' Macbook Air.

"Oh my god, Dad!"

"Now before you work yourself up, I know you've been chugging along with that old hunk of machine you call a laptop for years. You've needed something new and modern for a while. I took a few extra shifts down at the station, so no worries about the money." He slightly blushed and looked away, his modesty was endearing as always. Bella leaped across the gifts and gave him a huge hug. She wasn't one to complain. Her dad was covering all of her college tuition, her living expenses, and his own life. She never asked for extravagance because she knew he was just making ends meet, and being able to come out of college debt free was gift enough. But her laptop was an old black brick of a PC. It has been on its last leg for years, but Bella coaxed it along too guilty to ask for something new.

"It's fantastic! You always know the right thing to get me! Thank you!" She couldn't wait to take the new machine out and play with all the features.

"Sure, sure," he mumbled back embarrassed. He pushed a second bag towards Bella, this one wrapped in a lavender bag with little butterflies on it.

"This one's from Mom."

Bella's heart started to pound a bit unevenly. She could feel the part of her soul where she kept her mother's memory alive begin to ache. Very tenderly, she peeled back the tissue paper. Inside was a large, very old, brown leather bound book. Bella grasped the book with both hands and carefully laid it out on her lap. The spine was heavily worn down showing it had been opened and closed many times. On the front cover, in gold embossed cursive, Bella's fingers ran over the words ' _Familia Terrae_ '.

"Your mother and this book were inseparable throughout her entire life. Before bed, in between your naps, at the table in the morning with a cup of coffee, she would have this book open all the time. I would see her scribbling in it or reading constantly. I could never get a straight answer out of her what the book was about or what she was writing, but she always told me it was meant for you on your 21st birthday. I tried reading over her shoulder a few times but couldn't really make out the words. After she was gone, I tried opening the book, see what was so special, but I could never find a way to get it open. I couldn't see a lock, but it must be locked somewhere or the pages are all stuck together. Still, I don't know how many times your mother mentioned about giving you this thing. Even if we can't get it open, I knew she would want you to have it."

Bella could feel herself misting up. She ran her fingers over all of it again, this time knowing she was touching the same cover her Mom had touched.

"I did figure out what the title meant, but I had to type it into Google. It means 'Family of Earth' in Latin."

Bella wanted to speak, but didn't trust her voice quite yet. Instead she brought the book in close to her heart and gave her dad another long embrace.

"Dad…" she finally got out in an uneven voice.

"I know, Bells. I feel the same way. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart, from both of us."

Sunday morning, Bella's alarm started buzzing at the painfully early hour of 8am. How Jessica ever talked her into waking up this early on a Sunday for shopping, she would never know. And just as Bella was about to fall back asleep, a loud pounding on her door chased away all hopes of an extended nap.

"Up and at'em, Swan. I know you're going to try to sneak and fall back asleep, but not on my watch. We have only 6 hours left for the sale at the mall, and I'll be damned if I miss out on the good stuff cause you decided to sleep in."

Bella audibly groaned.

"Don't make me come in there and dress you myself," Jessica yelled through the door before walking away and turning her sights on Angela.

A reluctant half hour later, Bella found herself skimming the racks with Jessica and Angela and all the other early morning shoppers looking for a good deal.

Angela pulled out a powder blue overly ruffled top and held it against her chest.

"Thoughts?" she inquired.

"Veto, you're going to need a dip to go with all those ruffles," Jessica remarked, picking at one of the layers with disgust.

"Veto," Bella added punctuated by a large yawn.

"Come on, it's not that early. Where's the morning person I know you have hidden away," Jessica responded cheerfully.

"Buried at the bottom of a cup of coffee, maybe two." Jessica ignored her.

"You'll both thank me later. We all need a little closet refresh for the new school year. Maybe there will finally be cute boys who will transfer in this year!" She pulled out two identical dresses, one in grey and one in forest green.

"Do you think of anything other than guys? Veto the grey, keep the green." Angela nodded in agreement with Bella's opinion. Jessica draped the approved dress over her arm to bring to the dressing room and returned the rejected one to the rack.

"You could stand to do a little more thinking of boys. You've been hooking up with the same guy for how many years. What's his name? Charlie. Robert. Sam."

"Mike, and we've haven't really hooked up. It's more friendly than anything else."

"Yes, we all could see how friendly you were at that house party last spring, sitting in his lap, sucking at his face," Angela joined in with the teasing.

"Okay, friendly with a little making out. It's not a big deal," Bella deflected.

"Did anyone bother to tell him that? He follows you like a puppy dog."

Bella did try to tell him, but it never got through. After a disastrous night in the bedroom in freshman year after too much alcohol, Bella knew with certainty nothing would ever really happen with Mike. Yet, even after explaining to him, he still tried to pursue her over the years, not aggressively, but enough that every once in a while, Bella liked to indulge with a bit of kissing now and then.

"You know I did. Anyway, I've made a vow after that party not to do it anymore. I feel like I'm stringing him along even though I've talked to him more times than I care to remember."

"Great! That means officially and unofficially, Bells is on the market!"

"Now that we have made a pubic declaration of my singleness," Bella began while looking at the other shoppers staring in their direction, "can we move on to someone else, or change the subject?"

"Not a problem, because we have somebody else in this group who has a boy announcement," Jessica smirked at Angela. Angela instantly turned beet red.

"Is it really necessary to call it an announcement," Angela murmured embarrassed.

"Absolutely!" Bella relished Angela squirming. She was always the smart, quiet one of the group. It was great to see her not only have a possible someone in her life, but also to see her nervous when she was usually so put together.

Angela fiddled with a pair of pants for a few seconds before giving it. "Well it happened yesterday on the way home from the beach. Jess was asleep and Tyler was singing along to his awful songs like usual. Eric and I were making fun of him and then we got to talking about things, one thing led to another, and we kind of kissed."

Jessica and Bella exchanged huge grins and knowing glances. For as long as they could remember, Angela and Eric had a thing for each other, but both of them were too shy to ever make the first move. Yet they knew eventually something was going to happen.

"Finally!" Bella congratulated Angela. Angela turned redder, if that was even possible.

"Just be lucky you went to your dad's and didn't wake up to see the two of them hot and heavy in the backseat," Jessica feigned disgust.

The girls proceeded to tease each other, gossip, and shop for another hour. Bella had a nice stack of clothes in one hand and was ready to follow Jessica and Angela into the dressing room, when a black dress tucked between a tightly packed rack of clothes caught her eye.

"Go ahead of me, I'll meet you in there," she called to the other two.

Bella placed her pile of clothes to the side and pulled the black dress out. It was a simple black mini dress from the front with a modest V neck, made of a material that felt silk in her hands and shimmered like light reflecting off of water. The back of the dress was cut low with the straps coming over the shoulders, twisting together to form an intricate braided piece connecting the top of the dress to the lower back half. It was beautiful. Bella took a look at the price tag and had a small heart attack, $329.99. She made a motion to return it to the rack, but decided it was worth it to try it on, even if she wasn't going to buy it.

She placed the dress on the pile of clothes and heaved it over to the dressing rooms. Once in the room, she undressed quickly and slipped the black dress over her head. She took a look at herself in the mirror. The dress fit perfectly, hugging her thighs and waist not too tightly, but enough to suggest curves. She pulled up her hair and looked at the back of the dress. While she wasn't usually a fan of pieces cut so low, she had to admit how tall and elegant the braided strap made her look.

She could hear Jessica and Angela in the center of the dressing rooms praising each other on whatever outfit they were trying on. Bella pulled back the curtain and went to show off her piece.

"Jesus, Bells, you could give a man heart palpitations in that dress."

"Wow, holy crap that looks good on you," Angela added.

Bella looked again at the full length mirror. The dress elongated her usually stubby looking legs. It made her look mysterious and desirable.

Like a blast of cool air hit her, Bella, out of nowhere, felt a tingling run down her spine and reach the tips of her fingers and the edge of her toes. The feeling left as quickly as it came. It was strange, but Bella ignored it and resumed the dress appraisal.

"Even I love this dress, and you know how picky I am," she sighed turning back to the girls, "But I'm just trying it on for fun; there is no way I could afford something like this."

Jessica came over and looked at the price tag.

"What are you talking about?! It's $40. If you don't buy this, I swear I will." Bella was confused. She looked at the price tag again, and sure enough in a big red sticker was the word sale and the price $40.

"I swear it said $300 something when I looked at it before…" Bella trailed off. She brushed it aside as a trick of the light or delirium from shopping too long.

The girls picked through the rest of their findings before buying their favorites and moving on to the next store to begin the process again. After the end of four very tiring hours, they each had a solid haul of items they were bringing home, but everyone's favorite was Bella's dress.

Jessica used the car ride home to plan events Bella could wear it to or events for Jessica to borrow it from her to wear it to.

The girls came home and found the guys sprawled out on the couch watching some show on Comedy Central. The boys had a spare key to the girls' apartment for emergencies, but their idea of an emergency was 'we have no cable'.

Bella placed her keys and phone on the kitchen counter top so she had one less thing to try to balance with all the clothes in her arms. She and Jessica glanced over towards Angela's direction who already started to blush in the presence of Eric. They smirked at each other again before Bella disappeared in her room to deposit her purchases.

Bella fumbled with the door knob and opened up to a small but quaint room. Her room, as are most college apartments, was like an advertisement for Ikea furniture. Directly to her right sat a black Micke desk with her laptop and books from last quarter. On the far side of her room were matching black Hemnes bookshelves. Even her window was decorated with small Ikea lights. However, all the money saved on furniture went directly to the center piece of the room, her bed.

Bella was a firm believer in investing in a solid bed. Most people, on average, spend at least 8 hours a day sleeping. Bella spent even more time on her bed using it as a place to study or binge on TV. So why wouldn't you invest in something comfortable. Her dad helped her buy the queen size mattress and Bella saved up money from birthdays and Christmases to buy her most prized possession, a memory foam mattress topper. She never once regretted the purchase.

Bella had all the other basic items too – dresser, night stand, etc. – but other than her bed, Bella's favorite part of her room was a wall decal above the head of the bed.

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible" – Walt Disney

Not like she had ever done anything labelled as 'impossible', but it was a quote that made her smile nonetheless.

Bella threw her shopping spoils in a pile on the bed, but made it a point to hang up the dress in her closet. She was excited to wear it, even though she didn't know when or where that would happen.

Bella was going to begrudgingly go through the rest of the clothes and put them away, when her mother's book, placed to left of her laptop on her desk, caught her eye. That seemed like a much more worthwhile task than sorting through clothes.

She sat down and brought the book in front of her. She ran her fingers over the lettering again and down the spine of the old worn leather. Even though it looked very used, none of the leather was split in any place or pages sticking out at odds. It was impressive for a book of its age.

" _Familia Terrae_." Bella spoke out loud, liking the way the Latin sounded coming from her voice.

She tried to open it, but as her father prefaced, it was tightly shut. She tried opening the book from above, from below, from the front, the back. It didn't budge at all. She inspected every inch of the book's surface to try to find a locking mechanism, but couldn't find anything. Frustrated, she tried using her brute strength to pry open the pages, but again no change.

It was irritating. She was so close to something her mother obviously held very dear to her, but could not get in. After another few minutes of moodily staring at it, as if her anger would scare it open, she placed it gently aside and decided to Google the title to see if anything useful popped up. Bella relished opening up her new laptop. It was exciting to be able to open a webpage without waiting forever for it load.

She typed in the title to the search bar. All of the suggestions from Google weren't relevant except for the first link. Bella clicked on it, and a very simple page popped up. It had a sketched rendering of books similar to the one her mother had and a few sentences beneath it one of which read:

'If you are interested in the book ' _Familia Terrae'_ , you can find additional information and similar books at the following library.'

Bella was shocked but also very pleased to see the only library listed was her college campus' library. A stroke of luck! It specified a numeric section inside the library. While staring at the laptop screen, she reached towards the edge of her desk for her phone so she could type the information for reference when she was on campus on Monday.

Bella felt a sharp but non-painful jolt at her finger tips. Bella brought her hand back and inspected it, but could find nothing out of the ordinary. She then grabbed her phone off the edge of her desk and typed in the numbers into the notepad app. When she was done, she placed it back down on the desk, but then remembered; didn't she leave her phone in the kitchen…?

"Bells, Friends is on!" Angela yelled from the couch. Bella gave one last look at her phone. There seemed to be a lot of little strange occurrences happening that she couldn't fully explain. "It's the pivot episode!"

"Coming!" She abandoned her thoughts and joined the group.

A/N: Thank you for joining me on the beginning of another adventure. I hope you enjoy the figurate and literal magic of this story as much as I enjoy writing it :)

Note: Not all Latin used are exact translations


	2. The Sixth Floor

2\. The Sixth Floor

Bella was a junior this year and therefore not an amateur when it came to planning her schedule. All of her classes began after 11am and she had no class on Friday. It was a dream schedule and many people were envious of her luck.

On Monday morning, she leisurely woke up and prepared for class. It was still mildly warm weather so she decided to go with a blue, sheer maxi dress. She took some time to pin up her hair in a messy bun to match the beach chic outfit and paired it with simple black sandals.

Jessica, already tucked away in her second class of the day, woke up early enough not only to get to the campus early, but also make blueberry muffins, a first day tradition since freshman year. The muffins were still lukewarm when Bella bit into the fragrant bread. She took a few more lazy laps around the apartment, stuffing things into her purse as she thought of them. But finally, she couldn't avoid the inevitable and set off towards the campus.

Bella was a business major. Not because of any particular affinity for the subject, but because it seemed the most practical. She dabbled in a few other areas – politics, humanities – but nothing really stuck. She always thought there was something else she was meant to do. She could feel it just out of reach, but could never put her finger on what exactly it was. So business was her default.

And her first class of the day, the ever so exciting, topics in macroeconomic theory. She could feel herself falling asleep just thinking about it.

She parked in a rarely used parking lot on the edge of campus and walked towards the center quad. The college was a very beautiful nature filled campus. Huge old trees lined all of the walkways, and every building had unique architecture and flowers or benches near the entrances. It was not unusual to see groups of students walking or biking around campus because of how accessible and friendly it was. Bella particularly liked it because you could sense the campus had a history. The college was the story and the buildings were the chapters, but all of it shrouded in mystery. No one knew the exact account of how the campus came to be or who started it, but it only added to its charm.

Her first class was in an especially old building, the Harper Building, off the right side of the quad. The class was nothing special. The information was just as monotonous as every class she had already taken in college and, most likely, the same as all the classes she had yet to take. She would coast her way through like every other quarter, but Bella was particularly excited today because she was making it a point to visit the library (a place she worked hard to avoid just on principle) to look up her mother's book. Maybe something in there could help point her in the direction of how to open the darn thing.

Two hours later, Bella, in a sleepy haze, meandered out of class and circled the quad till she found Eric and Tyler lazily stretched out in the grass under the shadow of a tree.

"You look dead, Swan, what time was your first class?" Tyler asked as Bella sat down next to them.

"11."

"11! I've been in classes since 7:30 this morning. You have no right to look that tired," Tyler complained.

"But it was Professor Hayes, you know how he just drones on and on and on. And we only went through the syllabus today."

"I don't think you heard me. Seven. Three. Zero. In the AM. You're complaining to the wrong person."

"He is a bore. I had him for a class freshman year once, he was definitely one of the reasons I switched over to a science major," Eric commiserated.

"See!" Bella threw back in Tyler's face. "This is why I will always like Eric more than you."

"What a shame," Tyler mocked and was immediately met with a face full of grass and leaves Bella dumped on him.

Bella sat with the guys trying to waste time before her next class. The unfortunate part about classes that began late, her day usually ended a lot later than everyone else's. It wasn't till Bella stepped out of Olson Hall at 7:15pm that she was finally free.

The campus was always really quiet around this time and Bella loved it. The twilight cast a lovely warm glow. The tops of the trees looked like they were on fire, as the waning sunlight colored the branches orange. Birds and other critters were settling down for the night and slowly, one by one, crickets began their chirping. She took her time to cross the quad over to the library, enjoying the awakening of the evening.

Bella stood in front of the tall grey building, watching as all the lamps around the area started clicking on. This would only be one in a handful of times she had ever been inside the library. She didn't like the way students would compete about how much time they spent in the library compared to someone else. There were other locations and better ways to study than to surround yourself with that type of environment. Yet eventually some assignment or another always dragged her round at least once a year. At least this time, it was for a more interesting task rather than homework.

Bella walked through the entrance. There was a large staircase directly in front of her, made of glass, which led to the second floor. To the right sat bored student librarians behind their desks pretending they weren't texting away on their phones. To the left, as expected, students claimed tables like dictators claimed countries. They had all their books and personal items spread across a four person table so strangers knew it was off limits as a place to sit. Who even had that much work to do on the first day of class?

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and compared the section she wrote down from her Google search with the directory on the wall. The directory was telling her she had to go to the sixth floor. Who even knew the building had that many floors. She couldn't even recall anyone ever saying they'd been to that floor. Strangely enough, there was only one elevator that had the ability to go to the sixth floor. She located it on the map buried deep in the depths of the second floor. After climbing the stairs and searching for a solid five minutes, she finally found it partially hidden by a bookcase.

No wonder no one went to the sixth floor, no one could find the damn elevator to get there. Bella called the elevator and with an immediate ding, the doors slid open.

It was the most ornately decorated elevator she had ever seen. All the walls of the elevator were made of mirror with twisting copper handle bars on every side. Even the ceiling was made of mirror with a small crystal light piece dangling from the center. The carpet was a rich plush material colored copper to match.

She stepped inside and saw herself reflected on every surface. What a strange elevator to house inside a school library. Even odder, there were only two buttons on the electrical panel: two and six. She pressed six and felt a small shock run through her body.

The tiny shock was turning into a tingle. It wasn't unpleasant. It actually felt wholly comfortable and familiar. But Bella brushed it off as natural because of her change in height while riding the elevator.

Finally the doors slipped open again into a huge expansive floor. It had vaulted ceilings, floor to roof windows, and the bookshelves were huge, at least ten feet high, made of real cedar wood unlike the metal ones in the rest of the library. The cedar mixed with the smell of old parchment made for an enjoyable aroma. Bella stepped out of the elevator. The sixth floor was at least three or four times wider and longer than the floors below it. It was amazing what they could do with architecture. It had to be a trick of the design to make it seem this large because there was no way a building could actually have a larger top floor.

Her footsteps slightly echoed in the large space. From the looks of it, no one else was on the floor. She followed the signs and ended up in front of a bookshelf on the western corner of the floor. She let her hand glide along the spines of the books, trying to match the number on her phone. Finally at the very top of the shelf, Bella found the book she was looking for. She used a sliding library ladder to grab it.

It was a book similar to her own, bound in leather but much thicker and denser. She spotted a comfortable looking group of arm chairs off the end of the row. She picked the plushiest one and settled in. The book was embossed in the same gold lettering, but this one read: _Sanguinem Mundi_. Bella pulled out the translation app on her phone. A quick translation provided the title of the book – Blood of the World. Unlike her mother's book, she had no issue opening this one, but Bella did not anticipate that the entire book would be written in Latin.

She flipped through to what she thought was the table of contents. It listed four main sections of the book, with her app, she was able to figure out the English equivalent quickly:

 _Familia Aqua_ – Family of Water

 _Familia Ignis_ – Family of Fire

 _Familia Aeris_ – Family of Air

Bella was most excited about the last chapter and didn't need a translation at all, _Familia Terrae_. She flipped to the last quarter of the book and found the section labeled _Familia Terrae_ in intricate cursive scrawl. On the accompanying page to the left was an opulently drawn tree. Each branch was unique from the others on the page with distinctive flowers, leaves, or knot designs in the wood. While half of the page was taken up by the tree, the bottom half was filled with twisting, woven roots. You could not tell where one part of the root began and another ended. They were drawn off the page so you had the feeling that although you could not see it, you knew their reach was far and wide.

Bella took another moment to appreciate the beauty of the drawing before turning the next page. With dread, she was met with pages of text, all in Latin. She definitely didn't have the stamina to translate it all, but she thought she should at least attempt the first paragraph.

 _Inventores rerum natura mater cognationes terrae. Ducunt potestatem humo de terra. Praecipiunt cum feris facultatem et fortitudo. Originem bibes profundum et immitem._

In a painstakingly tedious process, Bella entered word by word in the app and came out with the rough translation of:

'Families of the earth are descendants of Mother Nature. They draw their power from the ground. They command with wild ability and strength. Their origin is deep and untamable.'

Despite never hearing about this part of her family before, she could feel the words resonate in her heart. If you asked anyone to describe Bella's mother, the first word that always came to mind was strength; the strength of her love and loyalty for her friends and family; strength in standing for what she believed in, even if others did not; strength in her passion for life. For the first time in a very long time, she felt thin, tenuous strings reawakening her connection to her mother. It was emotional. It was beautiful. But it was also very tiring. Almost an hour had passed since she came into the building. She didn't want to leave, but she obviously needed a better translating system than her phone app. But before putting the book away for the night, she wanted to try one more thing. Bella glanced around and listened, but couldn't hear anyone on the floor. She cleared her throat and began to speak in careful and stumbling Latin:

" _Inventores rerum natura mater cog_ … _cogna_ … _cognat_ …"

"… _cognationes terrae_ ," finished a deep, melodious male voice behind her, the Latin flowing off his tongue like water.

Bella nearly jumped out of her skin. She whipped her head around to glare at the intruder reading over her shoulder, embarrassed at someone finding her attempting something that made her feel vulnerable.

She locked eyes with his hazel, almost gold ones – what an unusual color. He stood nonchalantly dressed in a blue jeans and black t-shirt, hints of a well-muscled body outlined underneath the clothing. He was tall; she guessed he was a little over six feet and in no way showed any type of remorse for embarrassing her. In appraisal of the newcomer, she forgot to keep her anger pointed and sharp. She readjusted, and in a cold voice asked:

"Can I help you?"

"Not at all, but I am more than willing to offer my services to you. That is quite a lot of Latin you have there," he flashed her grin.

"I'm perfectly capable myself, thanks," Bella responded. She knew she was being a bitch and overreacting for no reason, but it was difficult for her to recover gracefully.

"I'm sure you are," he began either ignoring or not noticing her tone, "it's just that we don't usually see your kind back here, I didn't think they could get up here, anyways I thought I could be helpful."

"My kind?" Bella questioned offended. "And what do you exactly mean by 'my kind'?" she demanded.

He had the decency to show regret at his wording.

"Oh no, not in any bad way! Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I apologize," he reached over to pat her on the shoulder in an apologetic way, but the instant his hand touched the skin on her bare shoulder, a spark flashed, and he pulled his hand away. Bella reached up to her shoulder to rub the spot. It didn't hurt, but it felt peculiar. She looked at him, and he had broken out in a very knowing smirk.

"Hmm, looks like we aren't so different after all."

"I absolutely have no idea what you're talking about."

"When's your birthday?" he enquired out of the blue.

"Uh," Bella hesitated, "I don't think those are the type of questions you are supposed to ask someone when you first meet them." This guy was acting so abnormal.

"I'm going to guess you are 20, a few weeks away from your 21st." Bella's jaw mentally dropped. How the hell did he know?

"Lucky guess."

"It's more than luck, it's magic," he winked at her. Bella rolled her eyes. His grin was obnoxious, but she couldn't deny it was also striking.

"You know it's customary when you first meet someone to begin with a 'hello, how are you'."

"But don't you find the customary so boring?" He was playing with her now, maybe even…flirting?

"Well then you should appreciate this non-customary exit." Bella closed the book and walked past him.

She started looking for the correct shelf to place the book back on, while also making mental notes to come back with her laptop to get down to serious translation next time. A few seconds later, she could hear a second set of footsteps following her.

"Hey, I'm sorry, don't walk away. I'm usually much more charming."

She stopped in front of the bookshelf and climbed the rungs of the ladder to place the book on the top shelf. When she was ascending down, the rung she stepped on felt like it was covered in a slippery material. She tried to keep hold of the ladder, but the surprise of the step got the best of her, and she accidently let go and slipped off.

Just as Bella was sure she was plummeting to her doom, expecting at minimum several bruises from falling off such a high ladder, she felt two very strong arms catch her mid fall. Bella opened her eyes, closed from preparation for impact, and was staring directly into the stranger's gold eyes. She was tucked safely against his chest, and she couldn't help her heart from beating a little faster.

"Hello, how are you?" he smiled at her. She could feel a small blush forming on her cheeks. She squirmed so he would put her down before he could see her redden.

"You can't just start over like that." She smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in her dress and readjusted the purse strap on her shoulder to give her face some time to cool down.

"Of course you can! The only people who would know would be you and me. And I would never tell," he replied cheekily holding up his right hand in the typical Boy Scout salute. Bella gave him a skeptic glare. His voice shifted into a softer tone. "And truly, I would love to get to know you." It was the most sincere thing he had said yet.

She quickly weighted the pros and cons. He was super good looking, but weird in a quirky way. He didn't have any problems randomly approaching people and reading over their shoulders…but he was trying to be helpful. She looked at him again and decided, fuck it.

She cleared her throat as if wiping their conversation slate clean. "I'm doing well. My name is Isabella, but everyone calls me Bella." She held out her hand. His eyes lit up, very pleased that she was willing to give him another chance. He enclosed her small hand in his large one.

"I'm extremely honored to meet you, Bella. I'm Edward."

For the first time that night, Bella smiled back at Edward.

"I meant it before when I said I could help you. I pride myself on my Latin," Edward commented while he following her to the elevator.

"That's very nice of you. I might take you up on that offer, if this thing becomes more complicated."

"Can I ask what you're translating the book for? Latin assignment on the first day of class seems like a lot."

They both got into the elevator, and Edward pressed the button for the second floor.

"It's a personal project," she replied curtly.

"I can appreciate a woman of mystery," he responded jokingly. "And where is the mysterious woman heading tonight?"

"Home. I encountered this strangely tiring man today, and I have no energy for anything else."

"And she also has jokes! Well if you don't mind, it's dark outside, and for your own safety, I think I should walk you to your car. You never know what lurks in the shadows."

"Sometimes not even in the shadows. Sometimes they pop up behind you while you're minding your own business reading in the library."

"Touché."

Bella laughed. It was surprising how easily the banter came now that she calmed down a bit. She had more of a chance to appreciate his handsomeness and his wit. She noticed how his eyes crinkled a bit when she said something he found amusing or how fully he would throw himself into a laugh or how dazzling his smile could be.

True to his word, he walked her fifteen minutes across campus to her car. They talked about the campus, the weather, and classes. She told him how boring her first few classes were.

"Why are you a business major if you find it so dull? Hate to break it to you, but you have another two years left of classes just like macroeconomic theory."

"I know. I always thought maybe I could be great at something else, but I could never really figure out what that was. And business was as good as anything else here. What's your major?"

"I prefer not to reveal it right now. Keep them guessing and they'll keep coming back for more."

"Guarding the important secrets, I see," she playfully mocked.

"For now," his eyes twinkled with laughter.

They reached her car. She unlocked the passenger seat and threw her purse into the back.

"Thanks for walking me to my car."

"I had to, since you fell so hard for me," he said referring to her slip off the ladder. Bella was glad for the darkness so he couldn't see the embarrassment on her face.

"And that's my cue to leave." She was about to climb into her car, when he grabbed her hand.

"No jokes this time. It was really great talking to you, Bella. Hopefully I'll see you around some time?"

She was surprised how cozy she found the warmth of his hands. She could see the optimism in his eyes and realized she felt the same.

"I think I would like that." He let go of her hand and watched her get behind the wheel.

"You think?"

"Keep them guessing and they'll keep coming back for more." She smiled at him before closing the door and driving towards home. She watched his retreating figure in her rearview mirror, a grin tugging at the sides of his lips. Her car drove up to a stop sign, she looked back once more before driving off, but he was nowhere in sight. Gone just as quietly as he came.

A/N: A quick thank you to Tarbecca for recommending this story over at ADF! I hope you along with all the other ADF readers enjoy this update!


	3. First Date

3\. First Date

For days Bella cursed herself. In trying to act coy and aloof, neither her nor Edward exchanged cell numbers. For the first time, in a very long time, she found someone who was attention grabbing. He was strange but in a good way. He was attractive in a very good way. He was interested in her, she was interested in him, but she had no way to contact him.

Even her dreams were taunting her. The first night, she dreamt they were on a cliff. He asked for her number, and every time she tried to give it to him, the wind was so loud, he couldn't hear. She tried to yell the numbers louder and louder, but her voice was not strong enough to speak above the woosh woosh of the breeze. A few nights later, she dreamt he was sitting with her in her car. He asked for her number again, but every time she spoke the engine revved.

Over two weeks had passed since she met Edward, and it had been a very frustrating two weeks. Even her friends were beginning to notice her irritability.

Bella and Angela were having lunch together on campus on a Wednesday afternoon, but she wasn't paying any attention at all to the conversation.

"I'm sorry Angie, can you repeat that again?"

"What's the point, it's not like you're going to hear it," she replied matter of fact, but not at all angry. Bella groaned and buried her head in her hands.

"Ugh, I'm sorry! I just haven't been sleeping well."

"Did you have another dream with the mystery boy?" Bella refused to tell Angela and Jessica Edward's name, for fear of making her emotions seem too real when she didn't even know if she would ever see him again.

"Yes, and I'm very over it. I get it! I'm stupid for not giving him my number, but can we stop with all the dreams!"

"Don't let it get to you so much. I'm sure once you stop stressing about it, things will fall into place."

"I'm trying, but you know how out of character this is for me. This is a stressful thing." Bella groaned again.

"Yeah, I can't actually recall you ever being this caught up over a guy," Angela responded thoughtfully, with the spoon she used to eat her yogurt sitting against her mouth. "You know what might help? Go to yoga with me! It's very relaxing."

"Maybe for you. You thin willowy people always look great doing yoga. Me, on the other hand, I look terrible. I'm not flexible. My body wasn't meant to bend those ways."

Angela shrugged as if saying 'I tried' and went back to finishing her lunch. Bella was annoyed with herself. She knew she was being whiny, but had a hard time stopping when she was low on sleep. Her and Angela parted ways after lunch.

Bella stuck it out through the rest of her classes, but similar to her conversation with Angela, nothing was being absorbed. She might as well just have gone home after lunch. But Bella decided she would take advantage of being on campus later, and this time for a legitimate reason.

Already Bella spent a handful of nights the past couple weeks trying to 'translate more of the book', but as jumpy as she was at every sound in the library, she had to be honest and was hoping for Edward to materialize again. After a few unfruitful nights (and going to the library more times in those two weeks than she had in two years), Bella decided there would be no translation happening until she learned to get over this hang up.

This time, she purposefully kept away from the library and instead found a large tree in the quad. She dropped her bags next to her and sat so her back was supported by the trunk of the tree. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths. Even before receiving her mother's book, Bella always found comfort being outside. The natural sounds were soothing and, many times, were the only things that could help her relax. And now it made sense, considering she was supposedly a 'descendent of Mother Earth'. Bella could be spiritual, and she did enjoy being connected to something her mother felt so strongly about, but she had to chuckle at how magical and absurd sounding the book was.

"What's so funny?" a voice asked as she felt a body take a seat next to her, feeling his arm slide up next to hers, back against the tree. Before she could stop herself, she could feel a smile forming on her face.

"Inside joke, you wouldn't get it." Bella opened her eyes and was so giddily happy to see Edward making himself comfortable.

"Another mystery to add to the pile," he joked. After settling in next to her, he commented, "I seem to be making a habit out of disturbing your peace, but strangely don't feel bad about it."

"You're just lucky you're on my good side today."

"I'm very lucky," he said straight face without a trace of teasing. But then breaking out again into his characteristic smile, "And what are you doing on this fine afternoon sitting in the dirt?"

"Relaxing."

"Yes, when I want to feel relaxed, I also like to plop down and play in the soil." She elbowed him gently in the side.

"I'm not playing in the dirt. It's just always been comforting outside. Solid. Stable."

"Oh," Edward sat back against the tree. The two of them sat in easy silence. After a few minutes had passed, Edward spoke again, "You're right, this feels nice."

Taking strength from his closeness and the comfort of nature, Bella felt emboldened.

"Edward," she started.

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you ask for my number the other night?" Bella watched his face light up, and his shit eating grin pull up at the sides of his lips. Never before had she felt the intense urge to both slap and simultaneously pull someone closer.

"So, you've been thinking about me?" She elbowed him again but a little rougher. "Okay, okay, to be honest, I just completely forgot. I'm not sure if you realize this, but you're a very distracting person."

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely, but I'm not planning on making the same mistake again." He turned towards her so the top half of his body was fully focused on her. "Bella, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

Bella's stomach did a quick flip.

"Yes, I would."

He let out a small breath. She silently laughed; it was endearing to see him a bit nervous.

"And of course, the follow up to that, can I please have your number?" In response, Bella laid out her open palm. Edward fumbled with the phone is his pocket before placing it on her waiting hand. She deftly typed in her information and gave it back to him. "Bella Swan. I like the last name, it suits you."

"And what last name goes well with Edward?"

Edward quickly typed into his phone. Bella felt the phone in her purse start buzzing. She pulled it out and read the text message.

"Edward Cullen," Bella echoed out loud. She saved his number to her phone and the two of them sat together until the lamps started clicking on in the increasing darkness.

...

If Bella was stressed out before, it didn't hold a flame to how she was feeling now. What was she going to wear? What were they going to talk about? When was the last time she even went out on a date?

Over text they confirmed they would go out Saturday night, and he would pick her up at her apartment.

"That's good!" Jessica acknowledged, "He's taking the initiative to set up the date and he's picking you up. It's hard to believe, but the amount of guys who would go to even that small amount of trouble is dwindling."

It was Friday night. Jessica and Angela were sitting on Bella's bed while she tried on outfit after outfit. She came out of her closet wearing a royal blue blouse and a black pencil skirt.

"Are you going to work with him or on a date with him?" Jessica critiqued.

"Why don't you try something more summery," Angela added trying to be helpful. Bella pulled off her outfit and added it to the growing pile of discards on the floor. She picked out a white dress with a floral print.

"Too virginal. We want him to respect you, but still get his blood pumping."

"I'm not made for this type of life," Bella groaned. She walked forward and collapsed face first on the bed next to the girls.

"It's alright, Bells," Angela cooed while patting her on the back.

"Give me a minute." Jessica went into Bella's closet and started searching around. "No, no, no, no, possibly, ew, why do you even own this, no, no, wait…yes, you're gonna love me. Why didn't we think of this before?!"

Jessica came out and displayed in her arms was the black dress Bella bought when she went shopping with the girls a few weeks earlier.

"Oh yes!" Angela clapped her hands in approval.

"You both don't think the back is too revealing?" Bella asked.

"Definitely not. It's the perfect dress!" Jessica squealed.

Bella acquiesced and hung the dress up on the outside of her closet door. She spent the rest of her Friday night and Saturday as an anxious mess. She would try to sit down and watch TV, but wouldn't be able to concentrate when commercials came on, and she started to pace around the apartment. She had an essay due in one of her classes on Monday about comparative economics between the US and a developing country, but if she couldn't concentrate on TV, there was no way she could muster the focus for an essay. She finally couldn't take it and grabbed a coat to take a walk outside.

The apartment complex she lived in was primarily occupied by college students, but despite that, it was still a generally beautiful and quiet place to live. The perks of living so close to forested areas were that the foliage and vegetation would spill out into the town. The complex was surrounded by several large, dense trees which made for nice walkways. She picked her favorite path, a little out of the way, and started following it.

She was nervous but she wasn't sure why. Bella had always been a very secure person. She was hard to rattle, but something about Edward was unsettling in a good way. He had so many facets: playful, flirty, kind, mischievous. And this was from only talking to him twice. Bella knew that Edward was different from all the other guys she had spent time with.

Being so caught up in her thoughts, Bella didn't hear the two teenage kids riding on their bikes down the path. They were ringing their bells, but she didn't hear until they were coming up right behind her. Bella moved out of the way quickly, but ended up forcing them to ride over huge piles of dead leaves. The leaves were thrown into the air by the force of the cyclists, and started raining down over Bella.

'Just what I need, to smell like dead leaves for my date,' Bella thought. She tried to cover her face by tucking her head close to her body, and closed her eyes so none of the dust would blow in. And starting from her finger tips, flowing all the way down her arms, and body, Bella felt a small zing. A gust of wind quickly rushed her and then, seconds later, all was quiet.

She opened her eyes and the leaves were back in a pile on the ground almost as if they had never been disturbed. Not even a single fluttering leaf or dust particle was still in the air. It must have been a peculiar wind, to be able to reform a pile of leaves. Maybe one of those small tornado like winds? But before she could think too hard about it, her phone began buzzing in her coat pocket. She received a text.

'E: I hear you have a hot date tonight with a handsome young fellow'

Bella laughed out loud. And texted back:

'B: Are you trying to hype me up for your date with me haha

E: A little anticipation never hurt ;)

E: I've also been told that I'm a lovely companion

B: By who, your mother?

E: As a matter of fact, my mother is my number one fan

E: Maybe I'll have another fan after tonight

E: I'm really looking forward to our date, Bella'

Bella let out a tiny girlish laugh, very uncharacteristic of her.

'B: Me too :)'

And just like that, her nerves were gone. He somehow, through text, was able to put her at ease. Bella held her phone and smiled as she walked back to her apartment to start getting ready.

Bella took her time putting on her makeup just so; nothing outrageous, just enough of the Naked Basics pallet to accentuate her eyes and features. She put on a thin line of liquid liner and a few coats of her favorite Maybelline mascara. Bella left her hair down but sprayed a little dry shampoo to add volume. All of it was simple and classy, like her dress, like she hoped the date would be.

Since she calmed down, the time rolled by quickly. Just as soon as she adjusted the dress properly on her body, a few short knocks were heard at the front door. But before she could even stand up from the makeshift vanity on her bed, she could hear Jessica yell, 'got it!'. That was a disaster waiting to happen. Bella tried as fast as she could to clear her area of makeup so she could intercept, but it was too late. As she was hurrying out her bedroom door, she could hear Jessica ask:

"So what are your intentions with our housemate?"

Good natured as always, Edward complied with the questioning.

"To take her on an amazing, tasteful date but of course bring her home at the respectable hour of… 11pm?" he guessed.

"We aren't prudes, midnight will do."

"Then midnight it will be. I will make sure to deliver her to the capable hands of…?"

"Jessica Stanley."

"And?" Edward directed towards Angela.

"Angela Weber."

"Jessica and Angela. It was great meeting you both, but I see my date is ready, and I don't want to keep a beautiful woman waiting."

Bella watched the interaction with bemusement. He was dressed handsomely in a white button up shirt, a few of the top buttons left open to reveal the smoothness of his chest, paired with well fitted black slacks.

Once he turned his eyes on Bella, she felt like there wasn't anyone left in the room. He didn't run his eyes over her body like normal men would, making her feel like a piece of meat. Instead, he kept direct eye contact with her and said:

"You look gorgeous, Bella," and from behind his back, as if from thin air, he pulled a bouquet of roses and baby's breath. He politely stepped past Jessica and Angela and gave her the flowers. She brought them up and took a deep breath. The perfume of the plants was wonderful.

"Thank you, Edward. These are stunning." Angela stepped forward and offered to put them in a vase for her.

"Shall we go?" he said offering his hand to Bella. She took it and let him guide her to the door.

"Goodnight ladies," Edward spoke to Angela and Jessica as they walked through the threshold of the door. Bella glanced back at the girls long enough to see Jessica mouth 'marry him'.

Idling in front of the apartment building was a sleek, almost new looking, Volvo. He opened the car door for her and helped her in before climbing into the driver's seat. In an instant, they were off.

"I do mean it, Bella. You look fantastic, but I knew that before tonight." Bella was grateful for the darkness. She wasn't sure she was blushing, but she was sure whatever was showing up on her face was embarrassing.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad either."

"I've been told I clean up well."

"Humble as always, I see"

"If you got it, flaunt it," he laughed at the joke.

"So, where are we going tonight?"

"A very upscale establishment."

15 minutes later, Edward pulled into the local bowling alley parking lot.

"And your version of upscale is a bowling alley?" Bella questioned, not opposed at all to the idea, but wanting to give him a hard time.

"To be fair, you did know I find customary boring."

They both got out of the car and walked into the bowling alley together. They ordered two games and two pairs of bowling shoes. The total came out to $15.

"Don't worry, pretty lady," Edward began as he pulled out his credit card, "this one's on me."

"Oh, you're so generous," Bella teased.

And in one of the most bizarre, but best dates Bella had, they began to bowl. Unbeknownst to Edward, Bella was a very competitive person when it came to games. She tried to act very mature in the beginning, but when she found out how evenly matched their skill levels were, it wasn't long before she fell into her natural ambitious spirit.

It was Edward's turn to bowl, and they were neck in neck in the last two rounds of their first game.

"Better watch out. Mess up this throw, and I might just win this game," Bella taunted from the sidelines.

"I'd like to see you try," he replied as he smoothly rolled and knocked down 8 out of 10 pins.

He picked up the returned bowling ball, he began to step forward towards the lane to take the spare shot, but Bella came up behind him before he could throw.

She touched the lower part of his back and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Don't miss now." Completely distracted by this new tactic, Edward did exactly as Bella predicted and rolled a complete gutter ball.

"What a sucker," she laughed merrily.

"Those are dirty tactics," Edward pouted.

"A smart player uses all resources at their disposal." Bella finished up the game and won with one strike and spare.

"I hope you know that this was a test round, I went easy on you. You won't be so lucky this time."

And true to his word, Edward won the second game, but in the most impossible way. Every ball he threw either was a strike or a spare. Even when he threw at an awkward angle or Bella was 100% positive the ball was going to be a gutter ball, it would miraculously swerve at the last second and hit its mark. He obliterated her score.

"I call shenanigans," Bella cried when the game was complete. "Totally and completely rigged."

"That's what you think, but look," he began to gesticulate in the air as a magician in a magic show would, "no strings."

"We need a rematch. Everyone knows you have to win two out of three to be the true champion."

"I am completely down for that, except," he pointed to the rest of the bowling alley.

Bella and Edward were so caught up in their game, they didn't realize the building had emptied out and slowly lights were being turned off as the building was being prepared to close up for the night.

An older man, the manager, called up from the front desk down to the couple.

"Hey Eddie, make sure to lock up when you're done." He threw down a pair of keys. Effortlessly, Edward caught them out of the air.

"Thanks, Joe."

"You kids have fun now," Joe yelled back as he made his way out of the building leaving the couple completely alone. Bella looked over at Edward confused.

"Change your shoes and come with me," Edward responded mysteriously.

Edward led Bella from the bowling alley floor to a closed door in the back of the alley. He opened up the door for her and Bella let out a tiny gasp.

It was small room with flower wreaths intertwined with lights encircling the ceiling of the room. Little lamps hung from the ceiling covered with paper lanterns giving the room a warm glow. In the center was a set table for two, a candle merrily burning at the heart of the table next to a single rose in a vase. Food was already prepared under covers, and it smelled amazing.

"What do you think?" he tested.

"It's wonderful, truly." Edward relaxed and broke out into a glittering smile.

"Then shall we?" In a true gentlemen fashion, he led her to the table and helped her in her seat. "I know you aren't legally 21 yet, but I thought the occasion was better marked by wine than water." He pulled out a chilled bottle of white wine from a small cabinet in the corner. "Would you like some?"

"Yes. How did you manage all of this?" Bella asked. He poured her half a glass.

"My dad is a doctor around the area. He's helped a lot of people over the years. So Joe has known my family for a while. When I told him I wanted to set up something special tonight, he decided to help me out."

"Do this often?" Bella asked teasingly but also interested in knowing the answer.

"No, I don't. Practically never. But you're different, you deserve something non-customary," he replied with a serious smile.

"To something different," Bella raised her glass.

"To different," Edward clinked his glass softly with hers.

Edward removed the lids from their meals and let the aroma of lamb with couscous waft out. Both Bella and Edward dug in. Bowling can build up quite the appetite.

"So tell me more about your family," Bella asked.

"Nothing too exciting. I'm an only child, but my parents provided a great environment for me to grow up in so I never felt like I was lacking. Like I said, my dad is a doctor. There have been so many people in and out of our house, it felt like the whole city was my extended family. I practically grew up with all these people. My mom likes to restore old houses. She took the house we live in now from bare bones to the best house in the county. But I may be biased. You'll have to see it to judge for yourself."

"I would like that. They sound like great people to be around."

"And you?"

"I'm also an only child. My mom died when I was young, but she was a beautiful loving person while she was in my life. My dad is great. He's supported me through everything I have ever decided to do even though he doesn't always have the mother/father roles worked out perfectly. He works for the sheriff's department in the county over."

"He must have done something right to raise someone like you," Edward stated thoughtfully.

"I'd like to think so," Bella responded. The quiet settled in for a few moments before Bella pushed on to another topic. "So Edward, you already know how old I am, how old are you?"

"24."

"Wow, so super, super senior."

"Something like that, but it's not as unusual as it sounds for people like us to stay in school longer."

"The generalizations again? And who exactly are the people like us?" Edward hesitated for a fraction of a second. It wasn't long, he recovered smoothly, but it was enough time for Bella to know he wasn't being fully forthcoming about something.

"Why the suave and debonair of course."

"And you're still not going to tell me your major?"

"I think that requires a few more dates before I reveal something so intimate, don't you think, Miss Swan," he winked. "Hey, random question, just out of curiosity, do you know the exact time you were born?"

"That is random. And I actually do thanks to a family tree project in middle school. 1:26am on September 13th."

"Interesting…"

"Is it?" she asked.

"To me. Everything about you is interesting to me." Bella had to look away from the intensity of his eyes; the soft glow making them look like molten gold.

They spent the rest of the dinner sharing stories from growing up. Soon the candle had burned low. Edward took a peek at his phone (the first time either of them had bothered to look at their phones since they were so caught up in the date).

"Well we better start going if I'm to keep my word to your friends."

Edward told Bella he would clean up later, but Bella insisted she help him now. It was the least she could do for giving her a wonderful night. Side by side, they worked together to put the room back to the original state. And in a weird way, cleaning up together felt even more intimate than the meal. With both of them, the room was cleaned quickly.

Edward locked the building behind them as they left and packed up all the dining ware into his car. 15 minutes later, he was helping her out of the car at the apartment. He took her hand to provide something stable to lean against as she gracefully slid from the seat, but he didn't let go after she was out. They walked hands clasped together to her front door.

They turned to face each other. This was usually the time of the awkward end of the first date dance, but neither of them was feeling awkward at all. The wind had turned into a steady breeze as night fell. Bella's hair was flying behind her. A strand got stuck in the middle of her face. Without even thinking about it, Edward brought his hand up and tucked it softly behind her ear.

"I had a great time tonight," Bella whispered breathily. His hand then traced the side of jaw before he leaned in to cup her face.

"I did too, Bella."

Without any more preamble, he brought his face towards hers and laid a gentle kiss on her lips. She moved closer to him, wanting to eliminate any space between them. He took this as a good sign and wrapped his free arm around her so his fingertips slid down and followed the path of the braided back strap and rested on the bare small of her back. His touch and taste were electric. Bella deepened the kiss and reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck, entangling a few of her fingers in his hair.

Time stopped. Time rushed by. They both could feel the natural attraction to each other. They wanted to take it farther. They wanted to slow down to relish the moment. There were so many conflicting emotions. After what felt like forever and at the same time not enough, he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. They were both breathing a little heavier.

She looked into the depths of his eyes and realized she could lose herself forever in them and be perfectly content. He cupped her face again and ran his thumb down her cheek.

"Bella, you're magical."

They became entangled in another kiss, before they finally parted. He watched her get inside the apartment before getting in his car and driving off.

As Bella walked through the door, Jessica's voice exclaimed loudly:

"Midnight on the freaking dot. God damn that man is so smooth it hurts."

"Tell us all about it," Angela pushed. Bella felt a little heated, and tried to make her breathing less erratic.

"Maybe tomorrow. For tonight, I'm going to savor it," Bella smiled at the two girls.

"OHHHH Bella likes a guy! She really likes him!" Jessica yelled with no regards for the time of night and their neighbors.

"I think I do," she said to them as she went into her room.

She took another whiff of the flowers in the vase Angela placed on top of her bookshelf. 'I really do,' she thought.

A/N: A special thank you to Songster51 and shout out to all support from Ficsisters readers! And another huge thanks to the voters at A Different Forest for voting this story as top five for August/September Fic Dive!


	4. The Orchid

4\. The Orchid

The beginnings of a new relationship were some of the best feelings in the world. Every time Bella would receive a new text or a phone call, the butterflies in her stomach would do summersaults. Just thinking back on their date made her heart beat faster.

But her friends were not going to let her jump into a new relationship without being fully informed. Her date was the first thing on the agenda.

The group sat in a circular booth at their favorite local restaurant. Eric and Angela were noticeably sitting close to each other at one end of the booth, followed by Jessica, Tyler, and Bella.

"Alright Swan, who's this guy Jessica keeps going on about?" Tyler asked through a mouth full of french fries.

"Do we finally get to know his name?! Jessica added.

There was no way they would let her get away without spilling any details this time, so she gave in.

"His name is Edward."

"Kind of an old fashion name," Angela commented.

"But it's a good name. I know a handful of Edwards, and they are all great," Eric directed towards Angela instead of Bella. Bella laughed, the two were so absorbed with each other, it was hard to believe they didn't notice before.

"Yes, Edward is a great name, but now date talk!" Jessica was practically bouncing out of her seat.

"Leave out all the dirty details. Only PG for these innocent ears," Tyler joked. Bella lightly slapped the side of Tyler's head.

"It was all very sweet." Bella summarized the date with enough detail to satisfy Jessica but left out everything that would make Tyler pretend to vomit. "It was romantic. He's really a funny, great guy."

"When are you going to see him again?" Angela enquired.

"Sometime this week; he's helping me with a little project."

"Oh yes, a little project," Tyler mimed putting up a circle with one hand, and a finger from his other hand inserting the circle. Bella slapped him on the head with a lot more force this time. "Ouch! You know you're making me lose brain cells, right?"

"Didn't know you had any to begin with."

Tyler mocked outrage before changing the subject.

"Now that girl talk is out of the way, can we discuss something we're all interested in like drinking?"

"Yes! Two weeks till our little Bella turns 21!" Jessica whooped.

"Can we please not make a big deal out of this?"

"We've had this talk already. You are going to embrace 21 with open arms, woman. We at minimum need to do go to a bar!"

"Maybe you can invite Edward too," Angela suggested.

"Too soon. I'm just getting to know him. Do you think I want to scare him away by having him meet you crazies?"

"She's talking to you," Jessica and Tyler said to each other at the same time.

After a little more bickering, snacking on food, and coercion, the details for Bella's birthday were finally coming together. Against her will, her group and several other friends were going to meet at a local bar in downtown. Even though she was dreading all of the planning, small talk, hosting that comes with throwing any type of event, it did make her feel happy that her friends would go to the trouble of forcing her to do it.

...

Bella looked around the table, Jessica and Tyler arguing about who was going to buy Bella her first drink, Angela and Eric not so secretly holding hands under the table; she felt so lucky and happy to find a group of such genuine friends.

Bella had an unofficial date with Edward in the library this week. She was taking him up on the offer for translation help.

Bella was the first one to reach the sixth floor of the library. She found the book and dropped off her things in the same armchair as last time. She figured she had a little bit of time to kill, so she wandered around the floor.

It still amazed her that no one else ever seemed to be on this floor. Considering how the students claimed tables downstairs, she would expect no less up here. Yet, here she was, room to herself.

Bella glanced at several titles and pulled books off of shelves at random. There were a large majority of books entirely in Latin, but there were also many others that were written in a multitude of languages. Just by the feel and smell of the books, you could tell they were all very old. She flipped through pages, not understanding anything but still appreciating the beauty of the penmanship and the detail work that came along with – what she assumed was – hand printed books.

Suddenly, Bella's view went dark as a pair of hands covered her eyes. She jumped slightly at the unexpected contact, but quickly relaxed as she registered who it was. She peeled one of the hands off her face and turned around.

"How the hell can you sneak up on people without making a sound?"

"It's a gift," he smiled. He was dressed very casually again today, but he made casual look good. Bella placed the book she was looking at back on the shelf, and moved to let go of his hand, but Edward intertwined his fingers with hers, and she was more than happy to keep her hold on him.

Before they reached the end of the row, Bella surprised Edward by abruptly turning to face him, and giving him a quick, affectionate kiss.

"Whoa, what's that for?"

Bella shrugged coyly. "A thanks for your help, I guess"

"If that's how you say thanks, I'm going to have to help you a lot more often," Edward smirked.

They walked back to the armchairs. Bella moved her belongings to the small table nearby as that would be better suited for two people. Edward sat opposite from her at the table.

"Let's get to some Latin! What are we reading today, my star pupil?" Bella rolled her eyes.

"I asked for your help, I didn't necessarily mean I wanted to learn from you. How would I know if you were any good as a teacher?"

"Let me assure you that I am a most skilled instructor. I have various talents ranging from teaching Latin to bowling instruction, which, judging by that last game we had, you might need lessons in as well," his eyes crinkled with amusement.

"Hey, old man, not sure if you remember, but I won the first game. So as far as I'm concerned, we're even."

"Old man at 24? You wound me," Edward mimed getting hit in the chest.

"You know, it's kind of weird that you're fluent in Latin, it's not as if it's a language choice in high school," Bella commented, just realizing for the first time how strange it was to stumble across someone who knew the very old language.

"Let's just say Latin is very important for my line of…studies."

"Planning to become the Pope?" Bella joked.

"I have too many impure thoughts to become the Pope," Edward winked at Bella before continuing, "Now, let's see this book."

Bella pushed towards him _Sanguinem Mundi_.

"Blood of the World, a classic."

"Come on, no joking this time."

"For once, I'm not. This actually is a classic book. I read this one a very long time ago. I can go through with you and translate passages, but maybe you want an overview about the book in general?"

"Actually, that would be great." Bella settled in as Edward began.

"There are two different types of people: ones who are more…connected to the world, and ones who aren't. This book starts at the beginning with the first families that were connected. It was said that each family derived their strengths from the four elements: water, fire, air, and earth. Each family would display physical and emotional trades derived from their element. People from fire can be hot headed and brutal but also fight with a fierce loyalty. People from water get along with others very easily, they are flexible, and kind hearted. People from air are passive and elusive while people from earth tend to be stubborn but strong and have very deeply imbedded values. Of course, over time, these families intermingled so there isn't just a pure elemental family. Many people display multiple traits from different families, but you can still, with a little searching, be able to trace back to a single original family."

Bella listened intently, entranced by Edward's tale. His voice had a soothing cadence and the material was strange but also, in a weird way, familiar.

"How do you know if you are "connected" or not? What does that even mean?" Bella asked. Edward took a minute to think before answering, obviously constructing a very deliberate explanation.

"That's harder to explain. The way the book describes it, it says you will just know."

"Do you know what specifically the earth part of the book covers?" Bella asked a bit shyly.

"A lot of what I just told you, but more detail and each chapter goes into very specific family lines, the history of the lines, notable figures from each line."

"Oh," was all Bella answered back. She wanted to know more, maybe see if her family was in there, if any name was familiar to her, but it seemed too intimate of a request to ask of someone she only just met. Edward could see she was having some kind of internal turmoil.

"Any other questions? Anything you want to go over? I really don't mind if you want me to translate a few paragraphs."

"Just out of curiosity, how did you even end up reading this book? Did your parents use it for story time before bed?"

"I had an unusual upbringing," he answered with an indifferent shrug.

Bella realized how silly she must seem to be focusing so hard on a book that was most likely full of fairy tales – fabricated and embellished. She laughed out loud to cover her embarrassment.

"It's probably all made up anyway. Urban legends or something like that," Bella tried to brush off.

"You know what I find with these types of stories, there are always notes of truths to them, sometimes more than you expect."

As wild and fantastical as the book was, Bella felt unusually happy that Edward did not make fun of her or put her down. It is a rare person who instead supports and encourages one to believe even in things that seem impossible. But what made the situation even more abnormal, was the way Edward looked at Bella, like he was holding back or knew something that he didn't want to share. If anything, though, it made him more intriguing.

Bella, as a child, was known to throw herself full heartedly into a puzzle, even if took days or weeks, because she was intent on always knowing what big picture was hiding in the small pieces. And she may have just found her most interesting puzzle yet.

...

Birthdays, by definition, are very self-indulgent events. People go to all lengths to celebrate themselves and their existence. While Bella was definitely not beneath celebrating, to her birthdays also meant something a little different.

When people die, they are usually remembered on either the day of their birth or the day of their passing. But for Bella, memories of her mother hit strongest on Bella's birthday.

Renee's love and strength nurtured Bella inside her. Bella was a literal piece of Renee; a living reminder of what kindness and affection can bring to the world. Every year Bella always dedicated a part of her celebration to her mother. Without Renee, Bella would not exist.

After class on Thursday, Bella drove to a local flower shop, one she had been going to every year around this time.

The tiny bell over the boutique's door chimed a greeting as Bella entered the store.

"Isabella! I was wondering when you would be stopping by."

Sue Clearwater was the owner of the flower shop and head florist. She was a woman in her mid-fifties with soft, warm brown eyes, black cropped hair, and copper skin. She had been a family friend since before Bella was born. Her flowers were the only ones Renee ever bought saying Sue's love for her flowers made them bloom longer.

"I have the perfect flower for you this year! I had it shipped all the way from a special greenhouse in California!"

Bella followed Sue to the walk in fridge in the back of the shop. There in the back corner, in a single vase, was a single orchid.

"Sue, it's beautiful!"

"Calypso bulbosa, or better known as the fairy slipper orchid. I saw it in a catalog and knew Renee would absolutely love it."

It was a delicate flower with only a single bloom at the end. Small pink petals were curled around the center of the flower. The lip was a marbled pink and white with hints of speckled yellow. It really did look like a fairy's slipper.

"You're right, she would love this one," Bella agreed, inhaling the fragrant aroma. Sue brought the flower out to the front desk and transferred it into a carrying case. "What do I owe you?"

"Bella, you know your money is no good here. We do this song and dance every year. It is my pleasure to take part in this tradition, honoring a very special mother and a very special daughter."

Sue wrapped Bella up in a tight hug.

"Happy Birthday, sweet girl."

...

A few minutes later, the flower carrying case was safely buckled up in the passenger seat of Bella's car.

She began the slightly long drive to Renee's spot. Bella was a very rambunctious adventurer as a kid. She couldn't sit still to save her life. It became a tradition for Renee to take Bella to new places at least once a month so Bella could run around and explore. Both Bella and Renee had taken a particular liking to a spot hidden off of many side roads deep in the forest. They came back time and time again to play, for picnics, or sometimes somewhere to sit with a book and read or nap.

It was their spot. And even though there was only one of them now, instead of two, Bella still visited the place every year.

After several hairpin turns, and bumpy off-roading in her car that was clearly not made for this terrain, Bella pulled over to the side of the road. It was a densely forested area, but what marked the area as special was a single tree at least four or five times larger than any of the trees around it. The trunk was hollowed out, used by many animals as shelter over the years. The tree had huge limbs stretched out in all directions as if trying to reach the neighboring trees and ask 'how are you doing today?'. Bella's other favorite aspect of the tree, were the roots, they burrowed in and out of the ground, a natural jungle gym.

She walked a familiar path, over one root, under another, up the outside of the hollowed trunk, using knots in the trees as natural foothold up to a low hanging limb. Bella made herself comfortable leaning against the branches. She placed the orchid in her lap.

Leah, Sue's daughter who helped out at the flower shop sometimes, once asked Bella why she only picked up an orchid every year. Bella explained that Renee, although she appreciated all types of flowers, thought orchids were the most beautiful. Each orchid was unique and different. They had simplistic beauty on the surface, but could hide a complexity of orchid tribes crossbred to produce a singly one of kind bloom. It was for that reason Renee would affectionately call Bella 'my little orchid'. From there it only made sense to bring an orchid to honor Renee's memory to this place where Renee's ashes were spread, where their memories were strongest, where Renee's beauty was reflected in the nature of the area.

"Hi Mom, can you believe it's been another year already? 21. I know it's not a really that big, I get to drink legally and gamble, but I feel like it's going to be different. Maybe because Dad mentioned you thought this was going to be a special year for me. I got your book, but I can't figure out how to open it. Any hints?"

Bella waited for a response, but of course, just a few distant crickets. She laughed, an inside joke with herself.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. I met a guy. His name is Edward. He's a very different person compared to the guys I've dated before. He's intelligent and a huge joker, but also he can be so sincere. I've only seen him a handful of times, but maybe it could go somewhere? I don't know."

She let the silence of the forest envelop her. She always missed her mom, but for some reason she felt it more strongly today than in previous visits. Maybe it was the idea of Bella taking the huge step into adulthood without her mother's guiding presence. Maybe it was the nostalgia of being in their spot. Either way, the pain was especially strong in her heart. Bella could feel her eyes begin to mist over.

"I wish you were here," Bella whispered. "I wish I could ask for your advice. I wish we could gossip about guys, make fun of Dad, and just be together. I wish I could hear your voice again." Bella's voice became choked up.

Bella was not a fan of self-pity. It was very rare she would let herself get caught up in the emotions that came with losing her mother. She had a loving father who more than pulled his fair share of parenting duties. But in this unguarded moment, she let herself feel the emptiness of the hole Renee left.

"I miss you so much."

She let only a single tear slide down the side of her face, before wiping away the rest of the moisture. She would not wallow in the darkness. Even with what had happened, Bella had a blessed life and would not let herself forget it. But a small part of her - realizing she was going to be an adult, starting an adult relationship, moving into the real world soon - might possibly begin to forget the mother that helped her get here. And that was what scared Bella the most.

Bella closed her eyes and leaned back into the tree imagining the strength and stability and vitality of the earth seeping into her, making her strong again. It was a mental trick Bella used often and always made her feel better.

The sun soon started to move low in the sky. Bella had to leave herself enough light to drive out, otherwise she could easily get lost. She carefully placed the orchid on the branch in front of her.

" _Te amo matrem_."

I love you, mom.


	5. 21

5\. 21

A large burst of laughter floated in from under Bella's bedroom door. The noise pulled Bella out a deep sleep. She groggily turned over and rubbed her eyes as another loud round of laughter shook off the remainder of sleep that tugged at her lids. Bella had been having a particularly lovely dream of sitting on a lounger by the ocean taking a nap under the warm sun. The group better be watching the funniest damn show in the universe to justify waking her up on a Saturday morning. She was hoping to sleep away the morning to avoid any anxiety from the looming birthday party later that night.

She finally mustered the strength to sit up in bed. Mercifully, the window blinds kept out the sun so it was cool and dark in the room. She let out a huge yawn and stretched her arms up above her head. She took stock of her room. Books spread on her desk for a paper she had yet to finish. Clothes tossed on the floor, on the bookshelf, on top of her closet door; she really should clean those up. And the vase of flowers that Edward had given her from their date weeks ago. By now you think the flowers would show signs of wilting, but wherever Edward got these flowers, they put must have put something in the soil. The roses were just as fragrant and alive as the day she received it. Not a single petal had fallen. Even the leaves and stem were still green and full of life.

Bella rose from bed and walked over to the vase to take a sniff. She smiled as she touched a petal thinking of Edward. It was like she could almost hear his laugh.

Wait.

She actually could hear his laugh. Out loud, not just in her mind. She snapped her head to the door where jovial laughs and indistinct talking could be heard. What the hell.

With almost inhuman speed, she bounded to the door and threw it open.

Jessica, Angela, and Eric were sitting on the couch, Tyler on the arm of the couch, and there was Edward, sitting on the edge of the coffee table, his hands gesturing wildly as he was mid-telling of a story.

"…and Rosalie, Alice, and I rush over to the bush where the fish is flopping back and forth. The fish is so wrapped up in the fishing line, Rosalie was having a hard time holding the fishing pole so Alice had to help her. And finally I get the hook out, but the line gets flipped into the air because the girls were holding on to it so tightly, and the hook gets caught in Jasper's pants! Jasper starts shouting that he was caught and the entire time Emmett is still running around yelling about how the fishing weight hit his eye and no one cared because we were so focused on the fish!"

The entire group was rolling around in fits of uncontrolled laughter at Edward's story. Tears were leaking out the side of Jessica's eyes. Angela's hand braced against her stomach, sore from so much laughing. Even Tyler had trouble getting his under control.

Edward took notice of Bella as she stood wide eyed gaping at the group.

"Good morning, Bella!" he said with the remnants of the smile still on his face.

"Swan, you never told us he was so funny!" Tyler commented.

"Funny? He's hilarious! My abs haven't gotten this good of a workout in weeks!" Jessica giggled.

"Didn't even know you worked out to begin with."

Jessica's eyes immediately sharpened as if throwing mental daggers at Tyler and then followed up with a physical pillow. He was too busy laughing at his own joke and didn't realize until it hit the side of his face.

Edward stood up from the coffee table and walked over to give Bella a good morning hug. It was only when she felt his arms wrap around her body that she was acutely aware that she was braless, in a very thin camisole, and tiny sleeping shorts. She hugged him back, but then did the best she could to cover what she could of her body with her arms.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can't a guy innocently want to surprise a girl?" Bella raised a skeptic eyebrow. "Come on! Surprises are fun! And I have a feeling this is a going to be a day full of surprises. We have plans, so time to get dressed," he turned her around and nudged her back toward her bedroom.

"What type of plans?"

"Well since I made them, good ones." He nudged her one more time for good measure.

Bella came back out fifteen minutes, teeth brushed, dressed in black shorts, a cream v neck t-shirt, and black and white chucks. Bella was pulling her hair up into a high pony tail when she was stopped in her tracks again.

On the coffee table now sat two open beer bottles still full of beer. Edward was standing next to Eric while Tyler was struggling with a beer bottle in his own hand.

"See the trick is to put the right pressure on one end of the lighter so that it doesn't hurt your fingers, but enough to pop open the top," said Edward coaching Eric. There was an audible pop. "Perfect!"

"What are you guys doing now?" Bella asked exasperated.

"Edward showed us how to open a beer with a lighter!" Eric answered enthusiastically raising the open bottle in one hand and the lighter in the other. Seconds later Tyler whooped as he got his beer bottle open.

Jessica and Angela, from the couch, grabbed an open beer from the table and took a sip.

"You all do realize it's not even noon, right?"

"Stop being a wet blanket. We're celebrating!" Jessica replied.

"Celebrating what?"

"To Bella's birthday!" Angela shouted as she raised her bottle.

"To Bella's birthday!" the group responded, and Tyler, Eric, Jessica, and Angela all took a sip.

Bella shook her head in disbelief. When she finally herded Edward out the door, to the dissatisfaction of her friends who wanted to continue to keep him around, she told him:

"You've only been with them for what, a half hour? And already you're a bad influence."

"Don't knock it, till you try it. It's a good party trick," Edward defended.

They both climbed into Edward's car, and they were off. He warned her that he had to make one stop first. A few minutes later, in the heart of downtown, Edward pulled in front of a tiny café. He was only gone for a minute, but came out of the café carrying a small sized picnic basket.

As he tucked the basket away in the back seat, he cut her off before she could ask.

"No questions yet. Just enjoy for now."

Bella closed her mouth and sat back. They drove on the highway for another twenty minutes sharing a few words but mostly enjoying each other's company. Edward took an exit and started heading towards the forest. The road began to turn a little more mountainous before he finally pulled his car over to a very small shoulder.

"And we would be where?" Bella asked as she looked outside her window. They were in the outskirts of a forested area. The canopy was very porous as beams of sunlight lit up the ground. She saw two playful squirrels tumble around with each other until one chased the other up a tree.

"My super special secret spot, and I don't just take any person to see my super special secret spot. Only the exceptional get to see my super special secret spot."

"Say it again. I know you want to," Bella laughed as she slid out of the passenger's seat on to the forest floor

"Super special secret spot!" he replied in a deep, almost sing-song voice. He grabbed the basket out of the backseat and came around the car.

It's hard to believe how sexy a man could be with a picnic basket as his accessory, but there he was, blonde hair shining as he walked in between beams of sunlight, golden eyes shimmering, and a dazzling smile plastered on his face. He offered his free hand to Bella, and with a beaming smile to match, she intertwined her fingers with his.

He led her on a well-traveled path, over dead logs, through bushes and trees, until the forest broke into a small clearing. It wasn't large at all; about the size of a classroom. But it was a beautiful spot filled with patches of wild flowers, small insects buzzing from one bloom to the next, and the chirps of birds you couldn't see, but you could hear.

Edward pulled a blanket from the picnic basket and spread it out. The ground was covered in a springy moss making it more comfortable than Bella anticipated when she took a seat. The trees surrounding the clearing were tall and towering with moss and twisting vines running up their trunks, but surprisingly, they were not at all eerie. It was almost as if they were sentries, standing guard and keeping out the world so Bella and Edward could enjoy their little bubble.

"What do you think?"

"It's the perfect super special secret spot," she smiled.

"And the pièce de résistance…" Edward opened the lid of picnic basket letting Bella peer in while the aroma of the food wafted out. Bella let out a hearty laugh.

"How did you know the way to my heart was through a breakfast burrito?" She picked up one of the foiled wrapped burritos marked sausage.

"I have good instincts," Edward replied in his usual not so modest way accented with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

Bella bit into the burrito and was met with a mouth full of egg, hash brown, and sausage. It was heavenly. She took her time savoring the bite before swallowing.

"So what did I do to deserve such a good morning?" Bella inquired while wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Well I wanted to see you before."

"Before…?"

"The great 21, of course!" Edward replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"You do know the person I am today is going to be the exact same person I am tomorrow. Turning 21 isn't going to change anything," Bella countered while taking another huge bite of burrito.

"We'll see," Edward broke into that same mysterious knowing smile, his eyes wrinkling with delight at some inside joke he wasn't sharing. Bella shrugged and continued with breakfast.

She enjoyed a last bite of the huge burrito and lay back against the blanket letting her body digest. She watched the clouds float lazily by having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

"You know you just woke up not even an hour ago," Edward chuckled.

"When the food coma calls, you must answer," Bella responded closing her eyes.

She could feel Edward shifting next to her, until the sunlight warming her eyelids was blocked. She opened and found Edward's face above hers. He maneuvered himself so his hands were placed on either side of her head, his body straddling hers.

He dipped down and placed a tender questioning kiss on her lips.

"I might be able to stay awake a little longer," Bella hinted. He complied, and kissed her again. What started out as sweet, affectionate kisses quickly turned heated. Bella deepened the kiss. She wanted to taste more of his lips, to get as close as she could to him as she could. Bella wrapped a single leg around his body and ran the tips of her fingers along the sensitive band of skin just underneath the edge of his shirt. She could feel his muscles ripple underneath her touch. Edward nibbled the bottom of Bella's lip and she sighed in satisfaction. A sudden wave of tingling rushed over her, but lost in her desire for Edward, she didn't register when every strand of her hair started floating in the air.

A tiny shock ran across both of their lips, so they finally parted from each other, both breathing a little heavier than usual. Edward smirked at Bella, touching one of the floating strands of hair. Before she could even process, all at once, gravity took hold again and her hair fell back down to the blanket.

"That was weird," Bella touched her lips where she was shocked and then brushed her fingers through her hair. Edward shifted again, so he was lying next to Bella.

"Hmm?"

"So much static electricity in this blanket or something."

"Oh yeah, must be," Edward responded not exactly mocking her, but definitely in an amused tone.

The silence settled. They both stared up at the sky, watching birds skim over the tops of trees, and the breeze blow the various scents of the forest past the clearing. Bella let her mind wander. She was beginning to get a little nervous about tonight. It was really more Jessica's event than hers, but it still made her anxious thinking about how close to the edge of adulthood she stood. And before she could even stop herself, like word vomit, she asked:

"Hey do you want to come tonight?" She half regretted it immediately. They just started dating or doing whatever it was they were doing; he didn't need to be introduced to drunk Bella so soon. The other half of her hoped he would say yes, because she was drawn to him. She couldn't deny how much she liked to be around him and how attracted she was to him, mind and body.

She could see as a handful of smartass retorts were begging to spill from his lips. Instead he held back and simply responded:

"I'd like that."

"Do you think I shouldn't have invited him?"

Bella was sitting on the countertop of the bathroom, using her curling wand to place subtle wavy curls in her hair.

"Why wouldn't you invite him? He's super funny and very cute. And you are both dating, right?" Angela was seated on top of the closed toilet, fluttering her fingers in the air, trying to help the nail polish dry faster.

"Of course they're dating! He took her out for an intimate birthday breakfast in the woods. He's practically her boyfriend." Jessica was perched on the lip of the bathtub, her own feet perched up and airing out the polish almost dried on her toes.

"He's not my boyfriend…" Bella hesitated a second too long, and Jessica pounced.

"But you want him to be! You totally want to be official with him!"

Bella shrugged. She couldn't completely deny it. And she can't say the idea hadn't popped up a few times. But she wanted to keep her expectations realistic.

Tyler pounded hard against the bathroom door.

"You've been in there for over an hour. What the hell are you doing? We are going to be late!"

The girls reluctantly dragged themselves out. They had migrated around the apartment, starting in Jessica's room to do makeup, Angela's room for hair, and the bathroom for nails. They headed over to Bella's room. All of their dresses were hung up on the back of Bella's closet door.

Jessica picked out a fiery red dress with a halter top. Angela had a more demure black lace babydoll dress. Bella decided on a royal blue bodycon dress with a scoop neckline and half sleeves that was extremely form fitting.

They all slipped into their respective dresses. Jessica helped brush a few tight curls in Bella's hair. Angela wiped away a stray line of eye shadow on her cheek, and was given the final okay.

The girls put on their heels and met the guys in the kitchen. Eric and Tyler already had five shots of vodka prepared. Tyler whistled and, Bella noticed, gave an extra-long appreciative glance at Jessica. Eric gave Angela a quick kiss on the cheek. Each took a glass in their hand.

"To Swan, the last baby of the group! We are going to get you wasted tonight!" The group cheered and took what would be one of many, many drinks for the night.

The taxi pulled up to a local bar at the corner of one of the streets downtown. Tavern was a recent addition to the nightclub scene and the spot to be on Friday and Saturday nights.

It was a restaurant during the day, but at night transformed into a club. It was a relatively small place, but it didn't stop people from coming. There was a decent line waiting in front of the bouncer to be let in. From the sound of the muted music and yells, there was already a packed crowd inside.

"11:58. Could we be cutting it any closer?" Tyler complained.

"Stop whining! We have perfect timing. We wouldn't want to wait outside forever." Jessica shot back. She was furiously texting on her phone. Within 30 seconds a huge crowd of their friends burst through the doors on to the patio area behind the rope the bouncer was guarding.

"Finally, you all have arrived!"

"Belllllllaaa woooooo!"

"Next round is on me!"

Jessica walked up to the almost seven foot burley man, protector of the bar, and gave him a hug.

"Hi Robbie, thanks for helping me pull this together. And here is our birthday girl!" Jessica nudged Bella forwarded.

Bella confidently produced her driver's license for Robbie to look over. She was happy to finally be entering bars legally. He compared the tiny image to Bella. He tested the material of the license, looked at the birth date again.

He took a look at his watch.

"Alright, ten seconds till midnight."

"Did you hear that? Ten seconds!" Jessica called out to the group behind the rope. Bella couldn't help as a goofy grin became plastered on her face.

The group, obviously already inebriated, started counting down very loudly.

"Five. Four. Three. Two. One. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA!"

They broke into a chorus of the worst pitched drunken version of happy birthday Bella had ever heard, but she enjoyed it anyway.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart, go on in," Robbie lifted up the rope and let Bella and the rest of the group inside.

She had a shot shoved in one hand and was immediately embraced and congratulated by all her friends. The minute she finished a drink, another one quickly replaced it. She had two shots before she even left the patio area and set foot inside the bar.

When the doors opened, the volume of the music increased tenfold. And the current of the crowd carried her to the bar. Everyone clamored to order her a drink and glass after glass was pushed her way.

Jessica bought the girls all lemon drops. Tyler insisted on Patron, 'the finest in the bar!' he proclaimed until he learned their best tequila was $50 a shot. He then settled on the normal silver Patron. Angela and Eric bought a round of kamikaze shots.

Other friends, Stephanie and Derek, shared their drinks with her, rum and cokes. At one point Bella had a drink in each hand but wasn't sure what the drinks were or who bought them.

She was happy. She was buzzed. But even drunk, Bella couldn't help searching for a particular face in the crowd every few minutes. She thought she saw the back of Edward's head, but realized it was Mike Newton. Bella made a bee-line for the bathroom, leaving her drinks on the bar, and made a mental note – if she remembered – to kill Jessica for inviting _everyone_ on Facebook.

After she relieved herself, she went back out to the bar. Her group of friends had moved over to the dance floor. Jessica, Angela, and another friend, Sophia, gestured to her to come join them, but before she could move in their direction, a pair of familiar hands encircled her waist from behind.

"Happy Birthday Bella," Edward spoke into her ear so she could hear him over the music. His voice sent shivers down her back. Bella twirled in his arms so she could face him.

"You came!" Bella squealed. She wanted to kiss him right then and there because she was just so damn happy he showed up.

"Of course I did. I wouldn't miss this. Can I buy the birthday girl a drink?" Bella nodded, and he guided her over to the bar. He ordered both of them a fancy vodka cocktail. She didn't hear what they were called, but it was delicious.

A few friends floated in and out. She introduced them to Edward, but most of the time she was fully focused on him and couldn't help the silly smile that kept forming on her face when she looked at him.

Over the next half hour, they mingled with her friends, and the group, but Bella noticed that Edward continually kept glancing at the clock on his phone.

"Somewhere to be?" she yelled taking another sip of the drink in front of her. Bella was seated on the bar stool, Edward standing beside her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and brought his lips close to her ear so she could hear him over the noise.

"Not at all. But," he paused to look at the phone again which read 1:20am in large glowing numbers, "how would you like to go outside with me and get a little air?"

The warmth of his voice caused Bella's stomach to flutter. She did realize it was extremely stuffy in the bar. All her friends were tucked away in their corners, either talking or dancing, but all definitely drunk. No one would mind if she left for a few minutes. She nodded and let him lead the way.

Once the bar doors swung shut behind them, giving them a respite from the pounding music, a refreshing burst of cool air hit Bella. She didn't realize how crowded the bar was. Edward's hand moved from her waist to grasp her hand in his and walked past the roped patio and down the block to a more private sitting area.

Bella's mind was pleasantly fuzzy. Her inhibitions were lowered and she was feeling no regret. Once she and Edward were out of sight from the bouncer and other people, Bella turned to face him and pulled him into a deep kiss.

His lips tasted of sweetness and vodka. She wrapped her hands around his neck to angle him as close as possible. In a natural response to her, Edward encircled her waist and drew her in as well, deepening the kiss. But before anything else could happen, he stopped and pulled his lips away.

"As much as I would love to keep doing that, we have to stop," Edward declared in a slightly deeper and huskier tone than usual.

"Why," drunk Bella expertly purred into his ear before taking a slight nibble of his ear lobe. He let out a breathy sigh.

"I can't think when you're doing that." Bella started placing tiny kisses along sensitive spots on his neck and jaw line.

"Doing what?" Bella asked in an innocent tone, this time letting her tongue dart out where her lips touched. Edward shivered with pleasure, but his phone starting vibrating in his pocket. She watched him pull it out and turn off the alarm set at 1:25am.

"Okay you minx," he forcibly disentangled her hands behind his head and placed them by her side, "I'm doing this for your benefit, but I fully expect to play with this Bella another time." He took a step back, letting Bella stand alone in the space.

Bella was about to start to whine and move back towards Edward when she saw the clock on his phone turn 1:26am and things started becoming very peculiar.

She felt something inside her stomach. It was small, almost like a tiny cramp, until it started pulsating. The feeling in her stomach began to slowly grow. And then she felt the tiny flutter transform into a hammering as if something was trying to fight its way out of her body. All at once it burst forward from her stomach and left a tingling, burning sensation running through her veins, her nerves, her very soul. She felt it rip along her limps like she was on fire from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. He body lifted off the ground and started rising in to the air.

Simultaneously, all the light around her was sucked in. The moon was gone, the stars disappeared, even the street lamps clicked off. It was completely dark until Bella's body began to hum and glow. Bella could feel something buzzing in the air. An unforeseen force that called to her; that she was calling to. All the plant life, the bushes, the flowers, the deep rooted trees lining the street, began to groan as if they were physically struggling against their environment to join Bella's orbit. A strong gust of wind hit and began to push Bella's hair around building up into a frenzy until it was whipping wildly around her face. She tried to gain control of her hair, but when she brought her hands to her face, small bursts of light began to sizzle at the tips of her fingers. At first the bursts were short, a tenth of a millisecond. But it quickly grew out of control; the bursts become longer and stronger, erupting as if her fingers were sparklers.

Bella unconsciously arched her back in midair, light overflowing from every portion of her body as she reached the apex of her awakening. In one large final explosion of energy, she returned the glow back to the moon, the twinkle to the stars, and light to the lamps. With her exhale, every single ounce of air rushed out, and with her inhale, magic galloped forward filling her body, mind, and spirit; infusing her with clarity and a sense of purpose she felt lacking her entire life. The wind ceased. The rustling of the plant life quieted. Bella's feet finally found stable ground as she silently floated back down.

Bella's breathing came out in short erratic spurts. Her legs felt unsteady. Her heart was pounding wildly, and her body was still prickling. Her hair was completely wind swept and her eyes were frantically searching Edward's for an explanation.

"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!"

He laughed; a full out, unguarded, body shaking laugh.

"Isabella, I told you before. You're magical."

A/N: A big thank you to my nominator for the TwiFic Fandom Awards in the 'Favorite Out of This World Fic' category!


	6. Magic

6\. Magic

"WHAT?!"

Bella's stomach was churning. It was completely absurd. Magic. _Magic_. She was just Bella, ordinary, plain, normal Bella. There was no way she of all people could be magical. Her stomach was doing flips. Was that the magic? Some new wild beast now occupying space in her body. Oh wait, that wasn't magic…

Bella rushed over to a nearby bush and started throwing up and simultaneously blacked out.

...

Bella was sure someone was knocking on her door, but she couldn't distinguish the knocking from the pounding in her head. She opened her eyes, but even the little light coming through her opaque curtains was blinding. She was still extremely nauseous, but could feel that there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up. She tried to sit up, but the minute she began raising her upper body, her head started spinning. Bella gave up and instead grunted to signal she was awake.

Jessica slowly opened the bedroom door, letting as little light in as possible.

"Hey Bells, how are you feeling?"

"Oh god, stop shouting," Bella moaned.

Jessica quietly entered and dropped off a Jamba Juice drink on her nightstand.

"I brought you something to help with the hangover," Jessica whispered.

"What happened last night? I can't remember anything past going outside with Edward." Bella could recall a vague recollection of bursting lights and fireworks or something, but it was all fuzzy.

"Well as far as I know, you both left to go outside, you got sick, and then when you returned, you were knocked out, and Edward was carrying you in his arms. You should've seen him Bells, so freaking manly and handsome. He held you the entire way home, even carried you to bed and tucked you in. Super swoon-worthy."

"I can't believe he saw me throw up. I can't think of anything more unattractive." Bella covered her head with a pillow and, as far as she was concerned, she would stay under this pillow the rest of her life if it meant she didn't have to confront Edward about emptying the entire contents of her stomach in front of him.

"Well if it makes any difference, you were a champ last night. In fine drinking form. I'm surprised you didn't blow sooner."

"That doesn't make it any better," Bella moaned into the pillow.

Bella's phone, buried underneath another pillow on her bed, vibrated with a text. Bella could feel it rattling her skull and made the pounding headache come to the forefront of her problems.

E: I would say good morning, but I'm sure your morning isn't feeling too good. Can I stop by and bring you anything?

B: Depends, have anything that can erase the memory of me throwing up?

E: Now why would I do that? I want to treasure that memory for the rest of my life :)

B: Ughhhh

E: I'll be there in 15

With Jessica's help and a huge sip of the Jamba Juice, Bella rolled out of bed and into the bathroom to brush her teeth twice. Bella glanced up into the mirror. She looked like a hot mess. Her carefully placed makeup was smeared all around her eyes. Her hair, so nicely curled just hours early, looked like rat's nest. Bella scrubbed everything off her face and ran a brush quickly through her hair. Her eyes were still slightly red and the headache was thumping twice as hard, but at least she looked normal-ish.

Bella was just changing out of the dress she slept in to a pair of shorts and long t-shirt when she heard Jessica letting Edward into the apartment. Bella was starting to feel dizzy again and lay back down in bed. A few moments later, Edward entered and closed the door behind him.

"How's the birthday girl feeling?"

"Like death." Bella's head was spinning so badly she couldn't muster the embarrassment she felt about vomiting in front of him. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her head on top of it.

"I can do something to help with that," he took a seat next to Bella on the edge of the bed.

"Does it include being unconscious, cause that seems like the most appealing option right now."

Edward brought his hands up the side of Bella's face and placed a single finger on each of her temples. Edward stared directly into Bella's eyes with an unblinking connection. And then she experienced a most wonderful feeling. A wave of calm cooled the pounding in her head completely. Within seconds, the entire headache disappeared; even the nauseous feeling in her stomach had abated. It felt glorious, but then with a crashing clarity the events of the night before came reeling back.

Bella couldn't stop the fear that exploded in her. She hit Edward's hands away from her face a little more forcefully than intended.

"What did you just do to me!?" Bella began looking around her room, for an exit, for a weapon, for anything to help her feel stable in a world that was just flipped upside down. "What happened last night?!" Bella demanded, as she tried pushing away from him.

"Bella, calm down," Edward tried reaching for her but she moved away, backing herself against the wall.

"Don't tell me to calm down! What the hell is going on?!"

"I can explain it all, but you have to promise to listen to everything. I know you're scared, but this is nothing to be afraid of. Will you give me a chance?" he reached out an imploring hand.

Bella gazed hard at his hand, weighing the options. She looked into his questioning eyes and was met with complete sincerity. There was nothing he was holding back this time. And maybe she would finally get answers. She hesitantly placed her hand in his. He gave her a tenuous smile, and gave her hand a small reassuring squeeze.

"Bella, haven't you noticed strange things happening, weird stuff you couldn't explain? Small occurrences throughout your life, but they've gotten more frequent recently?" She nodded her head. "There's no easy way to prep for this, so I'm just going to say it. You have the ability to control magic." Bella gave Edward the most incredulous look.

"I know how it sounds," he continued, "but it's true. Magic is passed down from generation to generation. In most magically families, it is a normal part of life. You are brought up learning magic and are prepared for when you turn 21 and receive your full powers. But in your case, your mother was the magical one and your father was not. So when your mother passed away, you didn't receive the training most others would have."

He gave her a breath to absorb.

"You can't be serious. Magic isn't real," Bella tried to weakly justify, yet as she said it, instance after instance of unexplainable events flashed through her head.

"I assure you, Bella, it's as real as you or me."

Edward took Bella's hand and laid it flat in the air. He used both of his hands to cup around hers, covering her palm. Bella could feel a tingling sensation and a warmth flood her arm. When Edward uncapped his hands, a group of beautiful large monarch butterflies fluttered out. They lazily flapped circles around Bella and Edward. One was still perched on the palm of Bella's hand.

She was completely amazed; at a total loss for words. She reached with a finger to touch the flapping multicolored wings. She ran it gently along the tip that felt like silk before the butterfly launched off her hand into the air with the others.

" _Ascensus_ ," Edward commanded to the butterflies. They all redirected their paths towards the ceiling. When they collided, the butterflies disappeared but left painted versions of themselves on the ceiling.

"How is this possible?" she asked in wonderment.

"Because we are connected. We are decedents of the original families and have their blood running through our veins. And even if you never knew it, you could feel it. You have a special tether to your family's element, earth. You draw strength from it and it is strengthened by you."

Edward's eyes were alight. He was bursting to share with her this world that belonged to them both.

"I have so much to tell you. There's so much you need to know, but I don't want to overwhelm you. Have you ever received a book from your mother?"

Bella nodded and glanced at _Familia Terrae_ on her desk. Edward gestured at the book with a single outstretched hand and it flew immediately to him. He caught it easily and gently, placing it on the bed in front of Bella.

"This is your family's grimoire. It contains spells and notes passed down through your family. This is the key to your history."

"But it's locked. I haven't figured out a way to open it."

"Try again; I think you'll encounter different results. And when you're ready, I will be here to walk you through every step."

Edward rose from the bed. Bella didn't move at all, not towards Edward or towards the book. He approached her anyway and kissed her forehead. Before leaving the room, he spoke one more time.

"You can't see it, but Bella you have an amazing power within you. You were meant to do great things with your life. And as much as you try to convince yourself you're ordinary, you're going to have to accept you're anything but."

He closed the door behind him and left Bella with the book.

She looked at the book for a long time, debating if she was ready to do this. Bella was teetering on the edge of a precipice. But unlike how she felt yesterday, it wasn't silly like being able to gamble or drink; this was a choice between deciding if she wanted to live in just one world or two; if she was ready to plunge into the wildest unknown she had ever encountered.

But then she realized there was never any choice. If everything Edward said was true, and in her deepest of hearts Bella knew it was, then this was a part of her. She couldn't turn her back on this book; her history; her family.

Bella ran her finger across the gold letters and the worn down cover. However, this time she could feel the book, almost as if it were trembling, wanting to be opened, wanting to bestow its many secrets on her.

With a trembling hand, she accepted her fate, and opened the cover.

Tucked into the first page, was an envelope with her name neatly scrawled on the front. Bella would know that handwriting anywhere. It filled the pages of her family scrapbooks, it was on every birthday card from Bella's childhood, and it was imprinted on Bella's heart. The letter was from her mother.

'My dearest Isabella,

I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I'm not there for you right now. I'm sorry I can't see the beautiful woman I know you will become. I'm sorry you had to grow up without a mother.

I may not be with you, but you are not alone. I have poured my life into these pages knowing that on your 21st birthday they will bring you guidance on this new journey. I wish I could offer more, but I hope you'll take comfort in the strength of your past and use it to light the way of your future.

Never forget how remarkable you are. Never forget you are in control. Never forget who you are, Isabella Marie Swan.

With all my love,

Mom'

Bella didn't realize she was crying until the tears slid down her face landing on the book. But instead of leaving tear stains, the book absorbed it as if acknowledging her pain and wanting to share the burden of it.

She tucked the letter back into the envelope and into the cover before flipping through the pages of the rest of the book. It was chaotic. On each page there were spells or potions written in Latin. And in every free margin there were little notes. Some she could tell were her mother's; others were from ancestors who had long since passed. Some notes were suggestions on how to improve what was on the page, a special ingredient to add, a certain technique to do with your hand, some notes made no sense at all.

Bella turned page after page wondering how she was ever going to make any sense of the book. But she felt invigorated. Although completely foreign, she was going to dedicate herself to understanding her mother's gift.

With each page, Bella could feel the little curled ball of magic beginning to unfurl its tendrils in the pit of her stomach. The magic poked and prodded at Bella, enticing her, encouraging her to use it. But she was cautious. She knew she shouldn't mess with anything quite yet until she could grasp the basics of this new world.

Bella flipped through the book, giving everything a cursory glance, reading what she could. When she finally reached towards the end of the book, she found two pages stuck together. Unlike the other pages that were covered from top to bottom in notes, this page was completely blank except for one line in the very middle that read:

 _Cum perdis viam tuam_

She tried to make a mental note about translating this page later, but considering a good majority of the book was in Latin that needed to be translated, she quickly forgot about it.

After running through the pages again, she decided it was enough. With some effort, Bella finally forced herself to close the book. She could still feel it calling to her, but she was steadfast in her decision. She needed direction before she attempted to tackle anything in that book. And there was only one person who could help her; who she wanted help from.

Bella wasn't sure how it was possible, but when she looked at her phone, a couple hours had passed since Edward left. With her hangover gone, and a new task at hand, Bella didn't want to just stand around. She texted Edward.

B: Meet me at your spot in an hour

With only a beat between, like he was anticipating her text, Edward responded.

E: Okay

Bella grabbed something to eat, assured Jessica and Angela she was okay and functioning, and then dashed out the door to her car. By the time she reached the pull out for the spot, Edward's car was already parked. He wasn't anywhere nearby which meant he must already be at the clearing.

As she made her way to the clearing, she could feel a difference in herself between yesterday and today. With every step she took, she could feel the power of the earth reverberate into her body. The land around her was breathing and alive and, in a way, she was finally alive too.

Edward stood at the end of the clearing waiting for her. When she came into view, he started moving towards her, but hesitated. He wasn't sure how she was going to react, angry, still scared, or something else. He was going to take her cue this time.

Bella calmly walked up to him and stopped a few feet away. She appraised him, for the first time understanding who he was, what he could do.

"I have questions," Bella said, breaking the silence.

"That's understandable."

"I need truthful answers to all of them."

"Always. I promise I have never and will never lie to you."

Bella nodded in acknowledgment and took a seat on the mossy ground. Edward followed suit.

"So you've always known about magic?"

Edward nodded his head. "Yes, both of my parents are magical so I grew up with it."

"And you have a book like mine?"

"I do. I have a few grimoires that run in my family."

"And you knew I had this inside me…magic. And you didn't tell me. Why?"

At this point, Edward showed a twinge of guilt.

"When I first met you, and I realized you didn't know, I didn't think it was my place to tell you as it's usually something done by parents when you're young. I thought your parents might have been waiting till you turned 21 as some people choose to do. And I'm not exactly proud of it, but it was kind of fun to play around with the magic without you knowing." He looked away from Bella for a few moments, Edward's admission to embarrassment.

Bella turned over her memories. "The ladder in the library and the flowers? Magic?"

Edward gave her a sheepish grin. "Also, I used a location spell to find you in the quad that day and maybe had a little help in bowling. I would say sorry, but I wouldn't mean it. I'm glad I did those things, because it let me get to know you, and I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world."

Edward was sure he could see the hint of a smile play on Bella's face, but she quickly turned business-like again.

"You said earlier about weird things happening to me. Was that magic? Does that happen to everyone?"

"Magic is a part of you, it wants to be used. When you don't use it, it can sometimes happen sporadically or when you are feeling heightened emotions. As long as you use the magic, exorcise it like it's an extension of your body, then it won't feel out of control. And this doesn't usually happen to people who grow up in magical families. Even though you don't get your full powers till your 21, you can still control small amounts of magic while you're young to stop it from randomly coming out."

Bella took a minute to absorb the information, slightly chewing on her lip as she processed.

Edward was rocking ever so slightly in his sitting position. The patience in his voice was betrayed by the excitement apparent in his body. He was yearning to tell her more, but wanted to go at a pace Bella felt comfortable with. She asked her next question.

"Sometimes, like in my room, you use words to control magic, but other times you don't say anything, but things still happen. You don't need to speak a spell or use a wand or something?"

"When you first learn about magic, you don't know how to control it yet; speaking the words out loud helps to sharpen intention and purpose. But after you study it for a while, you learn how to command silently. Wands and other items can be conduits for magic. They can help strengthen certain spells, but magic is inside you. You don't need a stick to use an ability you were already born with."

Bella nodded, acknowledging his response. It was crazy, but it all made sense. And Edward's unbridled enthusiasm, not just to uncomplainingly explain the logic of an entirely illogical world, but to want to show her and help her, made Bella resolute in her next decision. The ball of magic in Bella's stomach hummed happily as it knew her next question before she even asked it.

"Last question," she took a breath, "will you teach me?"

A slow grin tugged at the sides of Edward's mouth until he broke out in that all too familiar smirk.

"Everything I know," he responded.


	7. Practice Makes Perfect

7\. Practice Makes Perfect

Bella was frustrated. She wanted to start learning immediately, but Edward was insistent on letting her rest, giving her powers time to adjust to her body since it had only been less than a day since all of it had happened.

But she was like a kid who just received a new toy. You couldn't have it in your reach and not play with it. But Edward didn't budge.

"It's still your birthday. Just enjoy it, and I promise we will find some time to work on the basics this week. Plus I have still have a paper I need to write today."

"A paper? So you really still are in college?"

"Yes. I meant it when I said I've never lied to you, I just wasn't fully forthcoming about the details," Edward responded with a shrug.

"The same college as me? And you study magic?"

"Well, the same college in the sense that they are in the same location. But I take completely different classes, have different professors, even the library is different; the sixth floor is completely filled with books meant for us."

Bella was amazed. How could a whole other world exist right under her nose and she didn't have a clue. And every time she thought she was done asking questions, Edward's responses would create another set of answers she sought.

"But why have two different schools on the same campus? Doesn't that make it riskier? What if someone finds out?"

"The school was originally meant purely for magic. There are magical hotspots all over the world. Our location is close to the ocean and mountains and even a few dormant volcanos. It made it perfect for a school, but the founders didn't want to draw too much attention, so they decided to open up a non-magic school to cover it up. And to be honest, most non-magical people can't sense magic even if it was presented to them on a silver platter. But we don't really have any strict rules about sharing that we have abilities. You obviously use discretion, but I've told a few non-magical friends over the years."

"What do you study?" Bella asked genuinely interested.

"Nothing fun if you're under 21. A lot of theory and history and Latin of course. But after you turn 21, new spells, casting techniques, potion making, all the good stuff. Want to see something I'm working on?" he probed with a conspiratorial tone. Bella enthusiastically nodded.

Edward stood up and brushed the leaves off his pants. He glanced around the clearing, taking stock of what was near him. He snapped his fingers, and from all around him, sticks and twigs and small branches flew to his command and hovered in front of him. He took a few minutes to sort through the selection. He finally decided on a smaller looking branch, short in stature, but thick around the middle. Simultaneously, all the other choices were flung back into the forest.

"This should do nicely," Edward said to himself.

He bent down on one knee before Bella so she could watch. He held the branch in one hand and with the other slowly hovered back and forth over the entire piece of wood. Ever so slightly Bella began to notice it shift. The top of the branch smoothed and curved, coming to a point. The bottom rounded out. The sides of the branch started to separate from the main body and curve and move. Two dark holes burrowed out at the top of the branch. After a few more waves of his hand, the holes blinked, and the stick stood up on his palm.

Bella then realized it was a tiny wooden bird.

It opened and closed its small beak, fluttering its wispy wooden wings, each movement accompanied by tiny clicks of wood knocking against wood.

"Can I touch it?" Bella asked. Edward nodded.

She reached over with a hesitating finger and pet the top of the smooth wood that formed the bird's head. It slightly nudged her finger as if saying it enjoyed it and wanted more. She ran her finger gingerly down the length of its body. The bird's wings flittered faster in response.

"This is amazing," Bella commented in awe.

"But not quite perfect. I haven't figured out how to create subtle things like eyelids or individual feathers. I've seen some people able to create ones that could actually fly, but this little buddy is not bad if I do say so myself." Edward brought it up in front of his face. The bird rubbed affectionately against the nose of its maker.

Edward then hovered his hand above the bird and, within seconds, the bird stopped moving and regressed into its original form. He tossed the stick aside.

"When do I get to do things like that?"

Edward laughed. "Object manipulation and animation is very advanced. It's going to be a while before you're ready for that."

Bella could feel her body itching to try. It was logical to give herself time to rest, but magic wasn't logical so why should she be?

"One thing. Show me how to do something simple, and I promise I'll stop asking and wait until you tell me it's time." She was practically humming with excitement. Edward had never seen her look so enlivened. How could he say no?

"Only one, and it's going to be small." Bella nodded her head enthusiastically. Edward rose off the ground and offered a hand to Bella to help her up. "Over this way."

They walked to the edge of clearing towards a cluster of wild lupine. The plant was at the end of its life cycle. The stalks were drooping, the leaves brown and shriveled, and the blooms were withered hanging on by a thread.

"You'll need to get close to the plant," Edward directed. Bella knelt on her knees. "Don't be discouraged if nothing happens your first time. It takes a little bit of practice to get the hang of it. Okay, place your hands around one of the blooms." She choose a small one towards the outer edges of the plant and carefully placed her hands around it. "Now focus on it, picture the flower alive in your mind, full and new. Eliminate everything else. It is just you and this bloom." Bella honed her thoughts. She was concentrating so hard so felt like she could hear the thumping of the water meekly pumping through the veins in the plant. "Now repeat after me: _folliculos germinaret_."

" _Folliculos germinaret_ ," Bella commanded with confidence and purpose. As she spoke the last syllable, she could feel the magic burst from her body out through her finger tips. The petals immediately begin to transition in color from a dark brown to light purple becoming full and supple again. But the magic didn't stop there. It raced through the plant, each leaf turning back time to a healthy green, the stalks becoming long and strong again. Although she only meant to change one flower, in seconds the entire plant was alive and thriving, with at least twenty blooms reaching three feet off the ground.

Bella stood up and dusted the dirt off her knees with a smile as she appraised her work. The magic thrummed happily in her blood.

"Wow," Edward exclaimed, "that was great for your first time out of the gate, but remind me to add control on our list of things to work on."

With the sun starting to dip below the tree line, they both decided it was time leave. They began to walk towards the entrance of the clearing back towards the cars.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you. If you weren't here, I'm not sure what I would be doing, or how I would be handling all of this."

"Something tells me, you would've pushed through somehow. Either way, I'm glad I'm here to help. You're welcome."

They were about to leave the clearing and onto the path when Bella said:

"Hey I don't think I asked, what family are you descended from?"

Edward's eyes alit with glee. He curled a single hand into a fist and brought it up to his mouth. He blew once into his hand and then started shaking it. A small plume of smoke rose from his closed fingers. He opened his palm and a tiny flame was burning in the center, and suddenly, almost violently, the flame lashed out like a whip, wrapping around Edward's wrist and then covering his body with snake-like fiery veins. Bella took a step back as he turned the intensity up and the fire consumed his entire body. He was a glorious living inferno. But with a quick snap of his fingers, the fire disappeared without a trace of smoke or singed material.

Bella blinked a few times, letting her eyes readjust after the blinding light. "You could've just said fire."

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that!"

By the time Bella got home, night had already fallen. The rest of the group was picking up take out for a movie marathon of Bella's favorites to finish up Bella's birthday. She was grateful for the few minutes of quiet to help gather her thoughts. It had definitely been the most interesting birthday by far.

She strolled into her bedroom and closed the door. She walked up to her mother's grimoire on the edge of her bed and rested a single hand on it. The magic purred in contentment. It was so strange to feel it so foreign inside her yet also familiar and right.

Everything was different now. There was a new sheen to her life; a vibrancy she had never felt before. She was excited for the potential the future held, excited to learn, excited to venture into this new realm. And Bella realized, to be more than ordinary was something she didn't need, but always wanted.

Before climbing into bed to take a quick nap, Bella glanced at the quote on her wall.

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"

And thought to herself, 'you have no idea, Walt'.

Trying to fall back into the rhythm of her life was like trying to stuff an air mattress back into its original packaging, impossible. How could she be expected to go to class, talk to her friends, be normal when the weight of a huge secret was upon her shoulders. Magic was real, and Bella could wield it.

Magic was the undertone to every thought. Sitting in class and learning about differential equations, Bella was sure there must be a spell to do the math for you. When her coffee started to grow cold, she was sure magic could find a way to keep it interminably warm. Even flipping on a light switch seemed like a chore when she knew with the right words, it could be done with magic.

The week dragged on at a tortuous pace, but it all seemed worth it when her phone chirped with a text message Friday morning.

E: Think you're ready for a little practice today?

B: Absolutely!

E: 12 at the spot

A few hours later Bella walked into the clearing, her anticipation and excitement palpable. Edward was seated at a wooden table in the center of the clearing with a chair across from him, empty and waiting for her.

"Where do we start? More plants or do we move on to something else?" Bella babbled eagerly as she took a seat.

"Hello to you too. My day is going well, thank you for asking," Edward folded his hands patiently in front of him.

"You've made me wait a week and now you're trying to stall with pleasantries!"

"Now, now, Bella. Without civility, we are all just savages."

"Edward…" Bella playfully warned.

"Okay," Edward responded raising both of his hands up in surrender, "we start with the basics. Every person is taught that there are four components to keep in mind when using magic. The first is intent."

A small flame appeared in the middle of the table.

"You must be able to picture exactly what you want to happen. Magic is wild and yearns to be free. If your intent is not crystal clear and your focus is elsewhere, the magic can use that distraction and easily do the opposite of what you want. The second is precision."

The flame disappeared and reappeared over and over in multiple spots on the table.

"You must be precise in your use of magic. The location of where you cast, where the spell will hit, your use of Latin, hand techniques, all of it has to marked by exactness and accuracy."

The flame stopped moving around and once again appeared in the middle of the table.

"Next, intensity."

The flame started growing in size, not in girth but in length, so a swirling column of fire began reaching higher and higher.

"Even the smallest spells, with too much intensity can turn deadly. You must understand your magic enough and what you want to accomplish so you can gauge the right amount of force and potency to put behind it."

The column of fire was now way past the height of their heads. Bella could feel the heat radiating from it. It was beginning to get warm enough that she would have to push her seat back soon. Tiny tendrils of fire began lashing out from the top of the column before being swallowed again. With every second, the fire grew larger and unruly.

"Last and most importantly, control."

Making the first discernable move, Edward brought his hand out and hovered it before the fire. In response to his silent command, the tower of fire shrunk, the heat lessened, and it returned back to the manageable flickering flame.

"I've seen grown men fall prey to their magic because they lacked the control to rein it in. Always remember you are the master of your magic, not the other way around."

Bella nodded, trying to absorb every word.

"And though not exactly an orthodox basic skill, I think there is one more important component. Style."

Edward waved his fingers in a quick fanning motion before the flame. The fire transformed into an array of color, a bright neon blue building from the bottom of the flame, brilliant reds and oranges bursting from the top, and sparks of yellow flying out of the sides.

Bella was simultaneously impressed and also wanted to roll her eyes.

With the snap of Edward's fingers, the flame was extinguished entirely.

"While some of these come natural, in order to properly use them together it requires constant practice. Like any other skill, your ability to use magic must be honed and sharpened. Not just training on any one component, but using all of them at once so when you cast, it comes as second nature."

"Intent, precision, intensity, control. Got it," Bella repeated back.

"And?" Edward insisted.

"Seriously?"

"100%," Edward replied with a dead face.

Bella visibly rolled her eyes this time.

"Style," she responded with reluctance. But it made no difference to Edward as he burst out in a proud smile. "Alright," Bella interjected before he could make a comment, "so which one do we tackle first? Do we choose an element and focus on the basics with it?"

"Whoa, hold your horses, my protégé. In the magic world, you're equivalent to a newborn who is trying to run. We have to teach you how to flip over before we even think about crawling, walking, and then running. So our lesson for today is…"

Edward pulled a small colorful book out of literal thin air and placed it in front of Bella on the table.

The cover of the book was filled with images that looked like someone went crazy with Microsoft Word wordart; an apple, a book, a crayon, a hat, and in giant letters across the front, the book read ' "Of all the Gaul" Latin for Kids'.

"You've got to be kidding me," Bella glanced disdainfully at the offending book.

"Wipe that look off your face. If you want to learn how to do anything, you can't avoid knowing the language. So get ready, because we are going to master the alphabet today," Edward said with excitement as he clapped his hands together.

And in one of the weirdest lessons she's ever had as an adult, Bella learned the Latin alphabet. They moved through it quickly and began going over basic words and phrases.

" _Opus bonum instructus_!" Edward exclaimed after Bella successfully, if hesitantly, read through a long basic paragraph in Latin.

Bella rested against the back of her chair, straightening out her spine that had been hunched over the book for the past hour. It's not as easy as it seemed to decide to want to pick up a new language.

"Well I think you've done enough for today. And here is your homework," Edward again conjured the piece of paper from the air with a twist of his wrist.

"And you want me to translate?" She asked as she looked over a solid paragraph of Latin written on the page.

"Exactly, and be prepared to read the translation the next time we meet."

"I think you're getting a little too much enjoyment out of this teaching thing." Bella folded the paper up and slipped it into her pocked.

"Can't deny I love a little power. And maybe my student wouldn't be opposed to coming to class one day dressed like a school girl, maybe some ponytails, a cute little skirt, a…"

"Only in your dreams, Cullen," Bella interrupted, shutting down his fantasy immediately.

"Can't blame a guy for trying," he responded with a shrug.

The minute Bella got home, she rushed past the girls, giving halfhearted greetings, before locking herself in her room to begin the translation homework.

She pulled out the piece of paper with the Latin. Very slowly, she went through the process of reading it out loud, to practice the sounds and intonations of the Latin, and then word for word, translate it. She was immediately happy when she was able to pick out a few words after her lesson with Edward and knew what they meant.

 _Magister est optimus. Pulchrior ille est, et genus. Praeceptor meus dominus meus. Ipse est enim principem populi magicae. Sum felix esse discipulum. Servire volunt praeceptorem meum. Faciet mihi magna._

When she finally started getting a feel for what the paragraph was about she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Cheeky bastard," she murmured out loud.

She completed the rest of the translation, wrote down the English equivalent, spoke the Latin paragraph aloud one more time, before putting it away again. She sat on the edge of her bed, still charged from her first lesson with Edward. He seemed so powerful and in control when he was conducting his magic. She could feel her own magic prod her as she thought of the afternoon. It couldn't hurt to try something small, right?

She glanced around her room, as if making sure Edward wasn't hiding in the corner. She scooted to the edge of her bed and picked out the small lamp on her desk as a target.

Bella flexed her fingers back and forth.

Intent, precision, intensity, control. Intent, precision, intensity, control. Bella replayed over and over as a mantra in her head.

She pointed a single finger from her right hand at the lamp. She focused on the lamp, on the bulb. She pictured the electricity running up from the socket, through the wiring, and into the filament. In her mind she focused on lighting the bulb.

Intent, precision, intensity, control.

" _Lux_ ," Bella commanded.

She felt the magic flow from the tips of her fingers and seconds later, the lamp turned on. Bella whooped in excitement. But then she noticed the light kept increasing in brightness. She watched as the bulb shined with a blinding brilliance. It was too bright to stare at directly. She could feel the tiny object radiate an immense growing heat until it shattered, the glass flying everywhere.

"Shit!" Bella yelled as she turned her head away protecting herself from the glass.

Footsteps were pounding and then Angela was knocking at Bella's locked door.

"Bella? Are you alright? Everything okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just broke something."

Bella surveyed the room, seeing the shards of glass sparkling from every direction. If she didn't fully believe him before, she did now. Bella definitely needed way more training before trying magic on her own. Sadly, she began the tedious task of cleaning up her mess.

A few days later, Bella met up with Edward for her second lesson.

"Ready for round two?" Edward asked Bella as she walked into the clearing.

"Yes, where do we start today?"

"With your homework. Did you do the translation?"

Bella handed over the piece of paper with the English translation on it.

"Oh no. I believe I said you were to read the translation out loud."

Bella knew she could whine and try to talk her way out of it, but something told her, he was going to force her to read. She cleared her throat and as fast as she could, Bella read the English translation.

"My teacher is the best. He is handsome and kind. My teacher is my master. He is the ruler of magic. I'm lucky to be his student. I want to serve my teacher. He will make me great."

Edward could barely contain his laughter as he tried to put on his 'teacher' face.

"Great job! Now on to the lesson."

Bella and Edward took a seat at the table with the Latin book. She started learning nouns and verbs. And to Bella's surprise, she was beginning to pick up on the Latin very quickly. Even Edward was amazed at how much she could recall.

After a solid hour of Latin work, Bella bent her spine backwards over her seat. She could hear the little pops and cracks as she stretched out her body.

Edward tried to continue along with the lesson in the book, but Bella interrupted him by cracking the knuckles on one hand. He tried again and she cracked the knuckles on her other hand.

"I feel like you're trying to tell me something…" Edward commented.

"Not at all," Bella said while using the chair to help twist her back from left to right, "I just feel so sore from sitting in this chair for so long," she feigned innocence, eliciting a crack from her neck.

"Okay, okay, we can practice something, just stop doing that. It freaks me out."

Bella stood up in triumph, ready to actually apply some of the stuff she was learning.

Edward led her over to an area at the edge of the clearing. It wasn't covered with moss or plant life like the other areas, but just dirt.

"You know the Latin word for earth. I want you to use your powers and create a small one foot by one foot hole. You will command the soil, but you must use intent, precision, intensity, and control to make it mirror what you want it to do. Give it a try."

Bella stared at the ground. She imagined every piece of soil, dead leaf, tiny rock. She could picture the earth in her mind. She held out her hand and with confidence.

" _Terra_ ," her voice echoed in the space.

The dirt vibrated in place, a few pieces jumped aside at her command, but other than that not much movement.

"It's not just seeing what you want to happen, but it's also feeling it. Earth is your element. Feel it through your body, your feet rooted on the ground, your mind connected to its spirit, your magic controlling it," Edward coached.

She dug her shoes into the ground a little more and took a deep calming breath.

" _Terra_ ," she commanded again.

Immediately the ground responded. A small pile of dirt leapt into the air and collected itself in a messy pile nearby the hole. It wasn't quite the size she wanted, but it was a good start. The magic in her rumbled with contentment.

"That's great, but now work on refinement. Try making a perfectly shaped hole with the right dimensions."

Bella tried again with a new hole. It was a much better attempt this time, but still needed work.

"Good, now let's aim for another…twenty five holes, hmm?"

Bella eyed Edward with a bit of reluctance, but didn't comment as she set off on her task. Edward walked back to the clearing cleaning up the table and chairs, sending them back to whatever place he conjured them from. After some time later, he came back to appraise her work.

Bella was proud of herself. The last ten holes looked perfect and identical. It also looked like an army of gophers had ravaged the forest.

Edward walked around, and looked at each hole carefully.

"Not bad." He measured one hole with his foot and compared it to the one next to it. "Not bad at all. Now fill them all back in," he finished with a smile.

"All of them?" Bella asked as she surveyed her twenty seven holes.

"Yes! We don't want some poor unsuspecting animal to fall in! And the goal here is to make it seem as if it was never disturbed."

About another twenty minutes later, after having to unfill and refill holes at Edward's discretion, Bella finally finished with her lesson.

She felt slightly exerted, but overall was content. The magic growled happily inside, excited to finally be put to some use, albeit not very productive use, but use nonetheless.

"Good work, my student," then Edward's voice dropped to a low, slow cadence, "make hole, fill hole, make hole, fill hole."

Recognition suddenly struck Bella.

"Oh my god, did you just Mr. Miyagi me?!"

"Possibly," he responded slyly, "But being Miyagi'ed is not a bad thing, after all, Daniel did win the tournament." Edward finished sagely as he clasped his hands behind his back and walked away from Bella as if he were a wise old master.

He walked far enough away that he didn't hear Bella whisper " _Terra"_. A small ball of dirt flew through the air and hit Edward in the back of the head.

Edward slowly pivoted to face Bella, mock outrage pinned on his face.

"You are walking on thin ice, Miss Swan," he drawled. Bella laughed as he tried shaking out all the pieces of dirt trapped in his hair on the walk back to the cars.

About halfway to the cars, Bella's phone buzzed with a text.

Jessica: Where you at? House dinner tonight at the guys' place. See you there?

"Grand plans for the evening?" Edward asked.

"Nothing special, just dinner with the group. Would you like to join?"

"That's okay. I'm meeting my own group tonight."

Edward had now started airing out his shirt to free the trapped pieces of dirt that fell down it.

"Group? I didn't know you had a group."

"As much as I enjoy spending time with you, which is a lot in case you were wondering," he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, "I also have friends."

Edward was going to pull his hand away, but Bella laced her fingers through his, keeping it there.

"I'm just surprised. You've never mentioned other friends before. And now, as I say that out loud, I realize I sound a bit self-centric."

"No one would blame you after having the big M bomb dropped on you. And well my friends are more of the magical variety. As much as I wanted you to meet them, I wasn't going ask until you were ready for all of this."

"Well, I think I'm more than ready now. And I think it would be nice to meet some of your friends.

"What about now? Join us for dinner? I don't think your group will mind if I steal you away for a few extra hours."

Bella thought about it and agreed. She texted Jessica that she wasn't going to make it for dinner and put her phone away.

"Let's do it."


	8. Change

8\. Change

Bella dropped off her car at her apartment and rode with Edward.

"So where are we headed?"

"Jasper and Alice's place. Alice's parents bought her a house a few years back. Small, but comfy and a bit secluded so no one notices when we try to execute our not so brilliant ideas."

"Such as?" Bella asked, curious as to how magical hijinks differed from the normal kind.

"Well, our last big disaster was when we thought we could create a version of a hover board. I controlled one sheet of metal, Jasper controlled the other, and Emmett was the unlucky guinea pig to try it out. Long story short, we weren't very good at keeping our sheets going at the same pace and same height. And it wasn't till Emmett was about four feet in the air and involuntarily doing the splits, that we realized, definitely not our best idea. Emmett was walking funny for days after that," Edward chuckled as he recalled the memory.

"Okay, so Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and one more person, right?" Bella counted off on her hands trying to get them straight. She was beginning to feel a little more nervous and was trying to do what she could to abate it.

"Rosalie. I would tell you more, but I think it's better to get the full unexpected effect."

"That feels so…comforting," Bella uneasily laughed.

"It will be fun! I promise! Except, we all have this paper that we need to work on and we have been procrastinating big time. We really should get some of it done tonight…"

"It feels strange to hear you talk about a paper. Shouldn't you be practicing spells or fire breathing or something less conventional?"

"As much as I love," his faced showed amusement at her suggestion, "fire breathing, still can't get away from the traditional methods of learning."

"So what's this paper on?"

Edward's voice took on a British, feminine accent as he stated the topic. "When casting a transfiguration spell, what elements are needed for a successful cast and what are the common pitfalls one runs into when casting incorrectly?"

"That doesn't sound boring at all!" Bella exclaimed. "I would way rather write about that than another paper about the downfall of the American dollar. To be able to learn about magic every day, it seems like a dream. And it's something tangible you can work towards. You have instantaneous results. Know if you're doing well or if you need to improve. It's exciting! And with econ, what will I end up with? Some piece of paper that will let me work in a boring finance career for the rest of my life."

"Well then maybe you should think about changing your path," Edward said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"But to what? How? I'm already so deep into this degree. I can't imagine changing now…"

"True, but look at your life right now. Sometimes change is the last thing we want, but the one thing we need."

Before Bella could respond, Edward pulled off the main road and onto a smaller paved street. It was an older neighborhood punctuated with quaint cottages. The longer they stayed on the street, the further apart the buildings were, till, after a bend in the road, they drove down a completely empty stretch with only a single cottage lit up at the end.

Edward parked his car next to a few others littering the driveway. She trailed behind him as he led the way to the front.

She was definitely nervous now. Somehow Edward seemed to fit perfectly in her life and her friends adored him. But would the same happen for her with his friends? And this really would be the first time with a group of magical people other than Edward. Would she feel lost in their conversations? Would she feel secluded because of her lack of magical knowledge?

Bella's heart thumped loudly in her ears as Edward opened the door.

The scene was completely unexpected and absolutely chaotic. A small petite brunette in the far corner of the room had her hands open commanding hoops made of water so they floated in midair. In a corner closer to the door, an Amazonian blonde, with a fierce beauty and a more ferocious attitude, casted hoops of equal size but instead made of fire. Two guys stood in the center of the room: one who was built like a linebacker and the other, shorter and lean. They both had their hands splayed in the air maneuvering paper airplanes with tiny Lego pilots through the hoops.

"Hurry up Jasper! That big oaf has already lapped you once! My grandma can spell that plane better than you!" the blonde shouted out.

"HEY!" the guys yelled, as the blonde simultaneously insulted both of them.

A plane took a sharp turn, the Lego man teetering dangerously on the edge, and plummeted so quickly through the hoop of water, that it slightly wet its wing passing through.

"Emmett, watch your turns!" the pixie like woman yelled into the fray.

"I know!" the giant man's voice boomed. He leapt up on to the couch as if the higher vantage point would help him steer the plane.

It was a mess of shouts, water, grunts, fire, insults, and wind all at once, until Edward cleared his throat very loudly. Abruptly everything stopped as four heads turned to face the two new ones that entered the room. The hoops of water crashed into a soggy jumble on the floor, the fire vanished into wisps of smoke, and the paper airplanes tumbled out of the air, the small pilots lost in the furniture. The three on the floor tried to tuck their hands demurely behind their backs or to their sides, but the large man was still standing on top of the couch, hands poised in the air.

Edward dramatically sighed. "Well…these are my friends," he gestured to the group.

The group hesitated a beat before the brunette came over as the official ambassador.

"You must be Bella. It's so great to finally meet you. I'm Alice." Alice moved with the fluidity of water and spoke in a soothing cadence similar to a babbling brook.

Bella moved forward to offer a handshake, but Alice used her handshake to launch into a hug. She hooked her arm through Bella's and pulled her forward.

"Come, meet the group!"

Bella gave a quick questioning glance back towards Edward, but his return said 'go on, they won't bite'.

They first stopped in front of the blonde.

"This is Rosalie. Don't be scared by her resting bitch face, she's only a bitch half the time." Rosalie's smile turned into a scowl. Bella laughed, easily comforted by their friendly dynamic.

"Hi Rosalie," Bella said with a reaching hand. Rosalie's handshake was somehow dainty and firm at the same time. She nodded her head slightly, her flawless blonde main shimmering under the light. But before Bella could spend time under Rosalie's intimidating stare, Alice whooshed her off.

"This is my boyfriend, Jasper."

"Please to meet you, Bella," he punctuated with a small bow.

"And that one still on top of the couch," he stepped down quickly, "is Emmett, Rosalie's boyfriend."

His giant hand could crush Bella's whole forearm, in the blink of an eye.

Before any type of awkwardness could descend, Bella could feel Edward's comforting presence at her back as he joined them in the center of the living room.

"So am I to assume that no dinner has been made since you were in the middle of the game?" A few heads drooped in shame. "And what was on the line this time?"

"Me and Jasper against Alice and Em. Five laps around through the hoops without killing the Legos, losers had to write the transfiguration papers for everyone," Rosalie answered. "And you interrupted just as Jasper was about to take the lead," Rosalie complained.

Emmett choked as he try to draw in a deep breath and outcry her insinuation.

"Okay, okay," Edward raised his hand before Emmett could retaliate and start a new war. "I swear you both act like enemies more than a couple."

"It's how we keep the spice alive," Rosalie gave a suggestive wink to Emmett.

"Gross. You two," Edward pointed to Rosalie and Emmett, "are in the kitchen with me. Alice?"

"Don't worry, we will keep Bella entertained."

The couple sauntered off, giving playful nudges and pinches behind Edward's back.

"Bella, come take a seat," Alice offered.

Now that things had settled a little, Bella had a chance to look around the room. The front of the cottage was deceiving as this room alone was huge. The living room was sunken in and littered with unmatched furniture. Alice and Jasper sat down on a huge latte brown suede couch, across from them sat two arm chairs, one forest green and the other a muted purple. Stairs ran up the side of the left side of the room and to a hallway where the bedrooms were. Off to the far right was an open archway leading to the kitchen. To the immediate right, off the entrance, was a wooden dining room table. The walls had a combination of every type of decoration: paintings, crudely drawn stick figure images, pictures of the group and their friends and families, holes haphazardly plastered over, burn marks, and on and on.

The cottage was an exact replica of the personalities of the group: some pieces were large and loud and dominating, others were soft and subtle, certain parts suggested formality while others screamed pandemonium, yet they all worked together in a strange harmony.

Bella picked the purple arm chair. She tucked her legs up underneath her body, getting comfortable.

"You have a beautiful home, Alice," Bella observing both the architectural design and the decorations.

"It's quirky, but we like it," Alice gave a meaningful look to Jasper.

"How do you all know each other?"

"We all mostly grew up together," Jasper answered. "Alice's and Edward's family were really close when they were younger. And over the years the rest of us moved into the area and we became friends. Plus us _sane_ magical families needed to stick together," he joked. But before letting out a full laugh, he realized his mistake. Bella technically came from a magical family too, but was not a part of the cultural identity. "Oh Bella, I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't offend you, it's just I meant…"

"No worries," Bella brushed it off, "I only just discovered all of this magic stuff a few weeks ago. I can't be offended by missing out on something I didn't know existed," she finished with a shrug of her shoulders. However, looking around at all the memories, the intimacy, feeling the happy experiences radiate from their home, Bella felt a twinge inside her. She couldn't help but feel she might have missed out on what could have been a vitalizing part of her life. Why would her mother not let her know sooner about this world and instead leave her to navigate it alone?

Almost as if Alice was reading her thoughts, she asked, "How are you doing with all of it?"

Bella took a moment to gather herself, she didn't want to come off as emotional and ungrateful for what she was given, but also didn't want to lie.

"It's been a struggle. I thought I had my life figured out. I had a balance that I was used to, and then all of a sudden, this huge revelation that has left things a bit off kilter. But I'm managing." Bella gave them a wistful smile.

"I've always believed having your path set for you at such a young age was overrated. Disruption and change and variation are what make things exciting," Alice replied.

"Funny, Edward said something similar in the car," Bella commented.

"Yeah, those two have been together so long, it's like they share the same thought wavelength," Jasper reasoned.

"And for that reason, you should believe me when I say; you've been good for Edward. And he may be good for you too."

"Certain days I feel like I'm just hanging on trying to grasp all the new things in this world, and he is the one keeping me from falling. It's nice to know I might be giving something back to him."

Bella looked into the reassuring eyes of Jasper and Alice, surprised at how easily she was sharing feelings she hadn't even had a chance to come to terms with. It was then she realized why Edward turned out the way he did even though he was an only child. With friends like these, even without siblings, you could never be lacking in family.

They hopped from one topic to another with ease. Jasper talked a little about his family and told them about the desert they lived in until they moved into town. Bella told them how enamored her friends were with Edward and now she is constantly plagued with open beer bottles everywhere. Alice reenacted a funny story from her childhood in which Edward was punished for melting the wheels of a car to the street when he actually was just a bystander to Alice's bad idea.

"They made him wash the car by hand without magic, every week for two months," Alice recalled proudly.

"Do you know how difficult it is for a 10 year old to wash an SUV?" Edward demanded as appeared from the kitchen. "Actually you do since you sat and watched me every Sunday." Edward did a quick flick of his wrist and a couch pillow went flying through the air directly towards Alice's face.

In a very lazy motion, Alice slashed two fingers in the air in the direction of pillow and the pillow disappeared midflight and reappeared back on the couch.

"Now, now Edward, is that any way to act in front of a lady?" Alice crossed her legs delicately.

"No, so if you see a lady, let me know."

Bella cleared her throat. Edward's face quickly went from triumphant to trapped.

"Oh wait, no I didn't mean you, I was just referring to," and he limply tried to point at Alice. Everyone laughed.

Emmett came up from behind Edward and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder.

"Start getting used to it buddy, your future is filled with backtracking, apologizes, and a whole lot of groveling." Edward let his head droop in defeat. "Now who is ready for some roast?" Emmett announced.

Rosalie carried a fully cooked roast along with fresh roasted potatoes and carrots into the dining room. Alice and Jasper met her at the dining room table. In perfect synchronicity, Alice and Jasper began a symphony of precise wrist movements, finger manipulations, and flowing gestures. Plates, silverware, and cups floated out of the kitchen. Bella was mesmerized. Alice would begin one gesture and Jasper would pick it up midair and complete it. In perfect harmony, when Alice would raise her wrist high, Jasper would simultaneously lower his until they both arced and met again in the middle.

Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward didn't bat an eye, but Bella couldn't tear hers away. Never before had she seen dual casting and never before had she seen two people so familiar with each other that she couldn't tell where one set of magic began and the other ended. It was beautiful. Bella could only hope that one day she knew someone as well as Jasper and Alice obviously knew each other.

When the last two cups floated into place, everyone took a seat.

Emmett started filling up plates. Bella, as the guest, received hers first. The aroma was heavenly. The potatoes were perfectly cooked with a crisp on the edge but soft and pillowy in the middle; the carrots were just the right balance of sweet and salty; and the roast smelled like it had been slowly cooked for hours. Once everyone was served, Bella took a bite, and the meat fell apart in her mouth.

"This is amazing! How did you all make this in only fifteen minutes?"

"I know he doesn't look it," Rosalie answered, "but this lug here is a wiz with cooking magic." She reached over and gave Emmett a quick peck on the cheek. Emmett slightly reddened with the praise, but was proud nonetheless.

"How did you both meet?" Bella asked after swallowing another mouthful.

"I moved here when I was thirteen. And as cliché as it was, I was the new kid on the block so I was the easy target. A lot of the kids used to make fun of me," Rosalie said nonchalantly.

"That's awful. Just because you were new?"

"And because of my beauty. It made many of them feel insecure about themselves," Rosalie answered very matter-of-fact, honesty as sharp as a knife. "They thought they could raise themselves up by tearing me down. So I kept to myself a lot of the time. But one day, a group of girls decided they wanted to push me a bit farther. But they didn't realize, just because I was quiet didn't mean I was helpless. I was at my limit and was about to show all of them this nifty little trick where you can rip out every strand of hair on a scalp with one single motion…" Rosalie smiled to herself as she remembered the experience fondly. "But Emmett stepped in."

"She gets this look in her eye when she is about to demolish someone, a mixture of pure joy and evil. You can't deny how attractive a woman is who can destroy with just a look. Also, I knew I had to save those dummies from themselves," Emmett added.

"And we've been inseparable ever since," Rosalie beamed at Emmett.

"That's very…uh…romantic," Bella commented.

"I've stopped trying to understand their psycho dynamic years ago," Edward commented after a bite of food.

"Jealous?" Rosalie snickered.

"Not even in the slightest," he responded without any hesitation.

And that was how the rest of the dinner went. The group traded friendly barbs, shared funny stories, and enjoyed a great meal. Bella was shocked at how comfortable and seamless it felt. At times she sat back and listened as the group melded one story into the next and entertained her endlessly with Edward's childhood anecdotes. And at other times, Bella found herself participating as if she had been part of the group for years. She debated full heartedly with Emmett about why fighting fifty duck sized horses was way better than fighting fifty horse sized ducks. She bonded with Alice and Rosalie over their love of Sephora despite never having enough money to buy all the things they wanted. And she was particularly proud of getting Jasper to crack up at a joke Jessica and Angela deemed 'not worthy to ever be said out loud again'.

By the end of the night, Bella was almost sad she had to leave. She went through three rounds of goodbyes with several promises of seeing the group again soon before they let her walk out the front door. She was still chuckling over the last thing Emmett said as she and Edward climbed back into the car.

"They loved you," Edward finally spoke with a bit of disbelief. "I have never seen all of them, even Rosalie, take to anyone as fast as they took to you. If I didn't believe it before, I definitely believe it now, you must be magic."

Edward placed a hand against the side of Bella's cheek and leaned in, letting his lips softly rest against hers. Even just the slightest touch of his lips sent a vibration through her whole body. Her body naturally arched towards his and his hand trailed down her neck, resting in the sensitive area at the top of her collar bone beneath her ear. She simultaneously let out a small, heated breath while he drank it in. He pulled her in for a deep kiss for a quick few seconds, giving her just a taste, before he leaned back to start driving.

Bella felt flushed; intoxicated by this man who in seconds could make her feel so warm and alive and infused with happiness from a great night.

…

Later that night, as Bella sat bundled in blankets on her bed with Netflix on autoplay, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the name on the screen before accepting the call.

"Hi Dad."

"Hi Bells."

"It's a bit past your bed time, isn't it?"

"Even old men like to stay up late and party from time to time," Charlie laughed. "But actually just wanted to check in on you. It's been a while since we've talked, and I've been getting a strange feeling."

"What type of feeling?"

"Oh I don't know," Charlie mumbled becoming embarrassed. "Just something funny in my chest when I think about you. Hey Bells?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Don't grow up too fast, okay? I can't help but think something's changing. And I know you've got to get older, live your life, and all that, but don't do it too quickly."

Usually when her dad started talking like that Bella would just brush it off with a joke, but this time was different. This time, Bella knew her world was changing, and meant every word when she responded, "I promise, I won't."

"And you won't forget about your old dad?"

Bella could feel her eyes slightly sting with unshed tears. "I could never forget about you, Dad. No matter what. Things might change, but your part in my life never will."

She could hear him smile through the phone. "Good," he finished, closing the topic before switching to another.

…..

In the rays of the mid-October sunset, the path to the clearing was bathed in warm colors. Bella enjoyed the crunch of the multi-colored leaves beneath her feet, the sounds of creatures waking sooner as daylight hours became shorter, and the feel of fall taking over the forest.

Bella walked into the clearing, and took a deep breath of the crisp air. She was ready for another lesson.

She was excited to see that Edward didn't have the tables and chairs out which meant they might be doing something more than reading a book for an hour.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, no school girl outfit?" Edward reprimanded.

" _potes meos suaviari clunes_ ," Bella fluidly countered. _You can kiss my ass._

Edward clapped his hands together in delight. Forgetting to be offended, he said excitedly, "Oh you've been studying!"

"I've added a few more phrases to my repertoire," Bella smoothly replied.

"Well that deserves a reward. Want to try something a little more complicated today?"

"Absolutely."

"So we've worked with your main element, earth, but I thought we would try something with water today."

Edward gestured for Bella to move into the center of the clearing.

"A prime rule of magic is you cannot create out of nothing. When conjuring anything, the components must come from somewhere else. The table for example. I can't just snap my fingers and a table that has never existed before now is here. Either I must create it from what I have around me or I pull it from a place it already resides. The same is applied to elements. We can pull elements from other locations to us and use it, but it requires a lot less power if you pull them from your surroundings."

Bella nodded.

"Alright, so we are going to work with water. Water exists everywhere. You could pull it out of the ground or from a plant but doing so can sometimes cause harm and possibly kill the item you are drawing from. Which is why I prefer to pull water from the air. Cup your hands in front of you," Edward commanded.

Bella did as she was told and brought her hands out from her sides.

"Now concentrate on the air. You can't see it, but you know it's there, millions of tiny, miniscule water particles. If you can combine enough of them, you can create an almost limitless supply of water for your use. Try pooling the water into your hands."

In a slow swiping motion, Edward ran his cupped hand through the air in a single circle. When he reached his starting point, Bella could see his palm overflowing with water.

Bella again nodded, ready to attempt the same.

She took a slow breath, forcing her thoughts and body to calm down. She focused hard on the air directly in front of her, feeling as she took a breath in and released it, imagining it filled with water molecules. She slowed her breathing down in even more and felt her magic begin to pulsate under her skin. And then like adjusting the focus knob on a pair of binoculars, the world slowed down exponentially and Bella could suddenly see the millions of particles in front of her eyes. She saw as they lazily floated up, down, past each other, into each other, and rebounded back into the air. It was amazing how many different layers of the world could exist all on top of one another.

She reached out a finger from each of her hands. Each finger found a water particle, and Bella pushed them together. With no resistance at all, the particles folded into each other, and floating around near the tips of her fingers was the combined molecule. She understood it now; she could see it; she could feel it.

Bella cupped her hands once again and said, " _aqua_ ". She watched in slow motion as the particles immediately stopped their lazy circle and ran into one another, globules of water melded and joined together, and fell heavily into Bella's waiting hands.

She took another breath, and the world sped back up to a normal pace and ready for her next command was the water swishing merrily around her hands.

"Perfect," Edward praised. Bella smiled. She opened her hands and let the water trickle to the ground. "You want to see a little more advanced elemental magic?" he asked surreptitiously. With no hesitation, she nodded.

Edward brought his hands out, palms vertical in the air. He whispered a few words low and in Latin. The temperature of the air dropped steadily. Goosebumps started prickling on Bella's skin as she could feel the water in the air becoming heavy as they froze to ice. She wrapped her arms around herself as the air became colder and colder. Edward whispered faster. The particles in the air in front of them angrily began to collide. An electrical charge was building. Bella's hair started to rise with static. And in a flash, a small bolt of lightning crashed out of the cloud of ice and struck the ground, leaving a small charred mark in the dirt.

Edward lowered his hands and the air returned to normal once again.

Bella couldn't hide her awe. "That was great! How do I do it?" Bella rolled up her sleeves so her hands were unobstructed.

"No, no, no, that's too advanced. We're working on small things. I just wanted to show you the extent of elemental magic."

"Are you kidding me?" Bella asked in disbelief. "You can't just show off some awesome move and not expect me to try it."

"You thought I was awesome?" Edward asked in a smug voice.

Bella snapped her fingers. "Edward, focus. Either you show me how to do it properly, or I'm just going to try random combinations until something happens." She crossed her arms in steadfast determination. She could see Edward weighing the options: his pragmatic, rule abiding side warring with his adventurous, teaching spirit. She watched as he made up his mind.

"Fine. But you have to listen to everything I say. If it starts getting too dangerous, I feel the magic get out of control, anything. We stop. That's the only way I'll show you."

" _ita vero magister._ " _Yes, teacher._

For a solid hour, Edward worked with Bella on the science behind how lightning is formed. They practiced turning water to ice. They perfected each step of the magic before putting it all together. Bella worked tirelessly on each move. Even after failing a certain technique six times, she pushed Edward to show her again so she could attempt the seventh. And finally after an hour with sweat forming on her brow despite being surrounded by the cooled electric air, Bella created her first bolt of lightning.

She yelled in victory.

It didn't matter how much her feet hurt from standing so long or how sore her fingers were from contorting them into unnatural poses or how her eye was slightly twitching after accidently shocking herself three times. All she could feel was the triumph of achieving her goal and the natural high from her elation. And Bella realized she could deal with any type of challenge for the rest of her life if attaining her objective felt as amazing as this. She could surround herself with magic forever and live in complete bliss. She wanted to do this. She was going to do this. Because no matter how content or secure her path in life felt before, it was nothing compared to this. This was living.

With a determination Bella had never felt before, and her magic proudly goading her from within, she turned to Edward.

"You remember talking to me about change? Well I think I'm ready for it. I want to join your school. I want to officially learn magic."


	9. The League

9\. The League

 _It was a cold winter, colder than any young Bella had experienced in her short life. Renee did the best she could to keep her entertained through those long dreary months, but it was a difficult task. Five year olds were never meant to be cooped up in a single place._

 _When Renee finally deemed it warm enough for Bella to play outside, she was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. Renee bundled her up in thick clothes, boots, scarf, mittens, earmuffs; the whole nine yards. She resembled a dog sized ball of cloth more than a child, but not even the layers could hold her back. And on this first day of freedom, there was only one place Bella wanted to play._

 _Renee buckled Bella up in her car seat and they were off towards their spot. A short while later, their car reached its destination._

 _Bella was struggling against the restraints. She could already see herself climbing up and down the limbs of the tree as she played monkey, or fanning herself with large green leaves when she was playing princess, or hiding in tall grass when she was playing lion._

 _Once Renee had freed her, Bella thrust herself out of her seat and waddled enthusiastically into the forest. But after only five steps, Bella came to an abrupt stop._

 _Nothing was how she remembered it. Not a single leaf was hanging off the trees. They were all barren and withered and scary. The ground was covered with fallen damp, grey leaves, and brown grass. There was no color left in this special spot, no flower blooms, no insects, no buzz of life. It all looked dead._

 _Bella began to cry, pivoted around, and barreled herself into Renee's legs._

" _Now, now, Bells. What's wrong?" Renee cooed as she lowered herself to Bella's height._

" _I want to go. I don't want to play here," Bella sniffled through her tears._

" _Why not, my love?"_

" _I don't like it. It's all dead."_

 _Renee let out a small laugh._

" _Yes, leaves have fallen and the grass isn't green anymore, but it's far from dead. Come with me, let me show you something."_

 _Renee offered Bella an open hand. Without any hesitation, Bella laid her tiny hand inside of Renee's and followed her to a small bare patch to the right of the big tree._

" _What do you see, Bella?"_

 _Bella looked around. She didn't see the friendly moths she played with last time, or see the squirrels run up the trees, or feel the wind whisper through the full lush branches. She dejectedly kicked a torn up leaf._

" _Dead," she murmured._

" _Look again, Bells." Renee crouched down and started to brush the dead leaves aside. "Just because it looks a certain way on the outside, doesn't mean something more can hide out of sight. Come see."_

 _Bella looked into the small hole Renee made in the ground. And out of the wet earth was a tiny, green sprout. Bella reached out her tiny hand. Something in her was calling to it. She wanted to touch it, feel the minuscule petals on her fingertips, but her gloved hands stopped her._

" _It's alive?" Bella questioned. Renee nodded with a smile._

" _Why? If it was alive before why does it have to die? Why does it change?" Bella asked, her young brain trying to make the connections._

" _Change is not always bad. Change helps us become stronger. Don't ever be afraid of change, Bella. Embrace it."_

 _The little girl nodded although she wouldn't really understand what Renee meant for many years._

…

The forgotten memory swirled inside Bella's head as she sat on an empty bench looking at an empty stretch of wall in an empty hallway on a Tuesday close to midnight. Not a single sound could be heard except for Bella fidgeting every few seconds. Her nerves were palpable.

If this wasn't embracing change, she had no idea what was.

Within a week of Bella declaring to Edward she was ready to change the entire course of her educational life, things had moved quickly.

Bella came home one day to a scroll, written in Latin, inviting her to interview with the dean of the magic school for a spot. She was told to be sitting on this exact bench on a Tuesday night, when the clock hit exactly midnight. It didn't give any further instruction.

And so here she was, Bella sitting on the requested bench. She kept folding her hands and unfolding them, brushing out the wrinkles on shirt, airing her hands out because she could feel them getting sweaty and there was nothing worse than a sweaty first handshake, waiting as the seconds ticked by.

Every groan of the old building had her heart beating faster. She kept obsessively looking at the clock on her phone.

Seven minutes.

Five minutes.

Three minutes and twenty-six seconds.

When she had less than a minute left, Bella took a deep breath, not having a clue at what to expect. As her phone buzzed midnight, a door appeared directly in front of her in what was once an empty stretch of wall. The door very softly clicked and opened.

Bella looked around. Nothing else had changed; there was no other person around, nothing different but the appearance of the open door. So she walked through it.

The office she walked into was the complete opposite of the hallway she walked out of. It was an enormous space. A glorious crystal chandelier lit up the room casting rainbow sparkles to glimmer in out of corners. The walls were paneled with wood and filled with volumes and volumes of books or interspersed with impressionist paintings. In the center of the room was a large stone fireplace and, in front of it, a dark purple plush arm chair as large as a king's throne and accompanying dark purple loveseat.

But as intimidating as the office first seemed, Bella started noticing tiny unintimidating touches. Candles with melted wax stuck to end tables, knickknacks strewn across the floor in a corner, a yoyo with tangled string hanging off the bookshelf. And the entire room had the calming scent of eucalyptus.

At the far end of the room sat a majestic oak desk with elaborate carvings. Two matching oak windows were on either side of the desk left ajar. In the desk, she realized, sat a person with the back of the chair turned to face Bella.

"Approach," commanded a deep voice. Bella quickly complied. She stood in front of the desk with her hands clasped to her sides.

In a very slow, deliberate motion, the man swiveled to face Bella, each turn of the chair eliciting an extremely loud squeak.

When his face finally came into view, Bella scrutinized it carefully. He was definitely an older man, but she could not guess what age. From one angle he looked aged and another very youthful. His hair was jet black with facial hair to match, peppered with silver strands. And the closer Bella looked, she realized his beard was in a French braid.

Before she had time to analyze how odd this was, her gaze became focused on his large, unblinking brown eyes. She felt her hands begin to squirm under the intensity, until she realized his eyes didn't just look intimidating because of his stare, but they stood out because…was he wearing eyeliner? And was he dressed in a royal blue fitted pant suit.

Then, in a flurry of motion, the man waved his hands in a complicated gesture and laid them out spread eagle. All the lights in the office dimmed.

"Four elements. First, light the candles," his voiced echoed with dramatic effect in the small space.

Bella was slightly taken aback by the lack of preamble, but recovered quickly. She summoned the internal spark needed for a flame, like she had done multiple times in her lessons with Edward. Mentally she extended that spark to every candle in the room. With a snap of her fingers and a quick mumble of ' _ignis'_ , all the wicks lit simultaneously.

"Ficus in the corner," he gestured to a tree Bella did not see when she first arrived. "Water it," his voice croaked somehow sounding even older and deeper than before.

With a quick curved outstretch palm, Bella gathered the water from the air with a confident ' _aqua_ ' and directed into the ficus pot. Slightly strange tasks so far, but at least she knew she was doing well.

In the complete opposite of the croak, the man's voice boomed, "the windows, close them!" He pointed to both the open windows with flourish.

It was at this point, Bella really started to wonder if the man had all his marbles. But she did as commanded, and with whispered ' _ventus'_ , a push of air gently closed the windows.

"And your last test…," he whispered with a wheeze. He pushed himself back from his chair, and opened up a drawer in his desk. He rummaged around for at least a minute, before he found what he was looking for.

This time Bella could not hold back an audible 'what?'

On his desk, the man placed a comically large miniature zen garden, complete with bonsai tree, purposefully placed rocks, and sand.

Millions of questions ran through her mind. Why does anyone have one of these? How the hell did this thing fit in his desk as it was larger than the top of it? What the hell was she supposed to do with it?

The man sat, with arms crossed, slowly nodding his head up and down.

"What am I supposed to do," Bella let out slightly exasperated, and then decided to add a proper 'sir'.

"Garden," he responded.

Bella glanced around as if it were a joke. The man only sat there, still nodding. And in one of the strangest tests, Bella used the element of earth to create wavy patterns in the sand. When she was done, he unhurriedly stood up from his chair, placed his hands on his hips and inspected the garden with many hmms and yeses.

After an interminable amount of time, he sat down again. And the two of them stared at each other in silence.

"So," Bella started after a few minutes of the uncomfortable quiet, "can I join the school?"

The man burst out into a joyous laugh.

"Of course! What a silly question to ask!" he responded in a higher pitched voice.

"I passed the tests?" Bella asked with a smile.

"Tests? There were never any tests, silly girl!"

"Wait, what? What was I doing for the past fifteen minutes?" Bella questioned, truly bewildered.

"Helping me with my office chores! I do so hate to do them." He looked around smugly at his office while running his fingers over his French braided beard.

"I'm so confused," Bella admitted. "Why go through the trouble of all of this, I don't understand."

"You may not remember me, but we met a few times when you were a child. Your mother and I were friends. I could spot you as a descendent of her line from a mile away. Magic is in your blood, child. You never needed a test to get into the school, just a willingness and preparedness to accept the magic. The theatrics are just how I get my chuckles."

This time when he stood up, he walked around the desk and stopped in front of Bella displaying the magnificence that was his outfit. He wore a pair of expensive Italian leather loafers, and when he extended his hand, Bella could tell it was freshly manicured.

"I am Octavious Huxtable Emerson the 83rd, dean of the Walter B. Walton School for the Magically Inclined. But you can just call me Dean."

She returned the handshake, still feeling slightly lost.

"You can begin attending classes tomorrow. Now run along, little Isabella. It's quite late. Note to self." A pen and paper appeared in the air beside his head, and the pen wrote as he spoke, "next time I decide to play the character of scary dean of the school frightening the youngling, midnight is way too late." Then in an aside to Bella, he added, "Dean needs his beauty sleep."

The dean gave her a quick embrace and scooted her out the door. The door closed in front of her, and she watched as it dematerialized before her eyes.

Bella gawked at the empty wall. She had no idea what the hell she experienced. Finally, when she was caught by a janitor staring at the wall in an empty hallway at 12:30 at night, Bella thought it would be a good idea to walk back to her car.

When Bella reached the parking lot, she had a small heart attack when she noticed a group of people milling around her car till she realized it was Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett.

As soon as they noticed her, they began to hoot and holler in celebration.

She broke out into a smile.

"Yes?" Edward asked as she approached.

"Yes," she answered proudly.

Emmett pushed his way in front of Edward and clasped Bella on both shoulders and said:

"Welcome to The League, Bella!" the grin taking up half of his face.

"What's The League?" she asked.

"It's what the students call the school," Rosalie replied.

"Isn't it something longer and more professional sounding than that?"

"Yeah, but who wants to say they attend Walter B Walton blah blah. The League is much cooler," Emmett answered.

"Okay," Bella punctuated with a smile and nodded. "The League. I can get on board with that."

"So how was it? Did he do the whole scare tactic? Loud voice, soft voice, wise voice? " Edward asked.

"Did he bring out that ridiculous oversized Zen garden of his?" Jasper added on. "And do his chores? I think he even made me sweep his whole office."

"Yes! He's a… strange fellow."

"Don't worry, he grows on you. Dean is a little eccentric, but one of the smartest and magically talented men you will ever meet," Alice responded. "And he's a blast in the classroom. On top of that, he likes to roam the campus. Keep an eye out for his door appearing. You're always in for an experience when he decides he wants to take you on an adventure."

The group regaled her with stories of impromptu running with the bulls in Spain, hikes through the Swiss Alps, and a plethora of other escapades the dean had taken students on throughout the years.

Bella looked around at each of them as they retold their tales, and she realized how lucky she was to be accepted with open arms into this group; how excited she was to start this new exciting and nerve wracking journey; and she couldn't help but think how proud her mother would be of her for embracing change and all it had to offer.

She smiled to herself.

Bella was going to kick ass in The League.


	10. Black

10\. Black

It was a brisk day in early November. Bella was wrapped snuggly in a scarf to ward off the cold, but not even the weather could keep her from holding on to Edward like a lifeline. Her cold hand was clasped in his warm one, and her nerves were making her grip tighter than usual.

"I know I'm behind, but how behind are we talking? Am I going to need to stay up all night for the next month to catch up? I need my sleep. I don't know how to function without sleep. I'm dead on my feet if I get anything less than seven hours," Bella rambled.

"Calm down there," Edward interjected trying to rub soothing circles into her hand with his, "you are going to be completely okay. Yes, you're a little behind, but I have faith you'll catch up quickly. And under my expert tutelage, you're not as behind as you think. Now take a deep breath. Your first day will go great, you will be the best in the class, and you'll get lots of sleep tonight."

But not even Edward's attempt at comfortable could assuage her fears. She redirected her entire educational goals. She had given up on a normal human non-magical degree, career, life. And if that wasn't scary enough, she was jumping into the whole magic school thing months behind other students in her year. Bella's doubts would edge away for a few seconds and then crash again like a wave on the shore. They kept pounding until it felt like all the confidence she had built up eroded away.

Much too quickly, Edward and Bella had reached a building in a secluded corner of the campus; it was where all the first year classes were located.

"Do you want me to walk you in? Show you the right classroom?"

As nervous as she was, she still had her pride.

"That's okay. I can find it. Thanks for all your support, Edward." Bella reached up and gave him a quick kiss. "If I don't make it out alive, bury me with my mattress."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a tad dramatic?" Edward teased.

"Maybe once or twice, but I refuse to believe it."

Bella moved toward the building and was about to let go of Edward's hand, but he gently pulled her back into his arms and gave her another longer, sweeter, tingle-inducing kiss.

"For good luck," he explained with a wink.

She was shaking her head, but couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She walked away before he could distract her again. She wanted to make sure she had plenty of time to find her classroom.

The building was no different than any other building she had been in on campus. All the hallways and doors looked the same as every other hallway and door she had ever walked through. But once she found the correct classroom, and stepped over the threshold, she stepped into an entirely new world.

The classroom complemented the sixth floor of the library. It too had large vaulted ceilings with floor to ceiling windows. All of the walls were lined with bookshelf after bookshelf, but these books looked more modern and had definitely seen more use than the ones at the library. At the front of the room was a medium sized oak desk off to a corner, papers haphazardly placed on top, and a very large blackboard filling up the rest of the space. The center of the classroom had neatly arranged tables so that two students could fit to a table and at least fifty students could fit in the classroom.

And of course, like a typical cliché, even though class had not yet started, everyone was already seated and talking; the professor, a mousy looking man, short in stature, with light brown hair, was rustling through his desk trying to locate an object amongst the clutter. The chatter died down quickly as every set of eyes landed on her.

"Ah, there you are. Class, class," the professor announced not realizing that he didn't need to call attention as everyone watched Bella walked across the room towards the professor, "in a very unusual circumstance, I'm very pleased to welcome a new student to our class today. This is Miss Isabella Swan." A few people gave small waves and some friendly smiles, but mostly Bella could see the confusion on the faces. Looks like new students in the middle of a semester was not typical. She gave a quick nod to the class.

The professor turned towards Bella, "as much as I am happy to have you as my student, you have a lot of hard work ahead of you to catch up. And so, I am going to pair you up with another student to help. Let's see, let's see."

The professor took stock of his students, till his eyes landed on a student towards the back of the classroom. "Ahh yes, Miss Swan I would like to introduce you to your new partner, Mr. Black. Mr. Black if you could be so kind as to stand so Miss Swan could locate your table."

Up from the crowd of students rose a tall, slender but well-built student. His hair was pure black with dark brown eyes. Bella could pick out the hints of his Native American background from the russet color of his skin, to the proud way he carried himself, shoulders back, attitude calm and commanding.

Bella gave the professor a quick nod of thanks before she walked to the back of the room, trying to simultaneously get there quickly so that she would not be the center of attention, but also not walk too fast and draw more attention. She gave a quiet sigh of relief when she reached the table, and the professor began talking to the students up front.

The student offered out his hand, "Hi Isabella, I'm Jacob."

"Hey, you can just call me Bella. Thanks for pairing up with me. I know it's kind of a drag to be burdened with the new kid," she replied shaking his hand.

"No burden at all," he flashed her a smile. He turned to a guy sitting next to him, and lightly slapped his head. "Move, Quil, so Bella can take a seat." Quil rubbed the back of his head and tried to give Jacob a quick punch back, with some of the fastest reflexes Bella had seen, Jacob averted the jab. Quil gave up and moved to an empty seat at the adjacent table.

Bella settled herself into the seat. She jumped the first hurdle. Hopefully the rest of the time she could just knuckle down, absorb as much as she can without causing Jacob too much trouble, and study like crazy at night.

"So what's your story? Not very often we see someone new around here? Family just move to town?" Jacob asked.

"Not exactly. It was more of a sudden decision, but I ended up weighing out the choices of going here and doing this whole magic thing right or trying to ignore it," Bella responded truthfully.

"Well I think you made the right decision. Life without magic is no life at all. Anyway, let me introduce you to the crew. You've met Quil," Quil gave a friendly wave. "Behind us we have Seth and Leah." Bella turned around and gave both of them a smile. "And in the table next to them is Embry."

Bella repeated all the names again in her head just to make sure she had it straight.

"Okay, so what do I need to know for this class?"

"Nothing much, but you might need to brush up on the Latin chapters we've covered so far," Leah answered, "the professor is easy going just super monotoned so his lectures seem to go on and on. Doesn't help that this whole class centers around Latin and Latin history, snorefest."

"Well I find it interesting," Seth defended.

"Spoken like a true, nerd," Leah snorted.

"Oh really, should I tell everyone what you were reading last night?" Seth smugly replied, knowing he had the upper hand.

"You wouldn't dare." Leah had a mortified look on her face.

"I'm sure this doesn't need clarification, but if you couldn't tell, those two are related," Jacob said to Bella.

"I would've never guessed," Bella replied sarcastically as the brother and sister continued to bicker and threaten each other.

The professor interrupted, clapping his hands together, "Settle down now, let's begin where we left off last. Please turn to the chapter on lineage in your textbooks."

Bella nervously glanced around at the other students, she wasn't aware she needed any textbook for the class. But before she could panic, Jacob leaned closer to her and whispered, "Don't sweat it, I have you covered."

With a flick of his wrist, two books appeared on his waiting palm. He placed one on the table in front of her. Bella's shoulders sagged with relief.

"Thanks, Jacob. I have a feeling I'm going to be saying that a lot to you."

"I don't think I'll mind," he smiled back.

The professor began to lecture on the importance of lineage in the Latin world. Bella was mesmerized, not just because the topic was interesting, but as the professor spoke, a piece of chalk was continually writing key points on the board behind him. When he finished with one topic and moved to the next, the eraser would move on its own to clear the board, and the chalk would begin again, without the professor needing to even twitch. Despite how impossible of a feat this would've seem to Bella just months earlier, she could now appreciate the complexity of magic it required to both conduct magic while lecturing.

Throughout the lecture Bella also gathered that most of this stuff was common to Jacob and his friends. They spent the two hours mostly fooling around except for Seth who paid close attention to every word the professor said, dutifully taking notes from what appeared on the chalk board. But yet, if any of them were called on to answer a question, they knew the information without hesitation. It made Bella more aware just how out of place she was compared to all the rest of the student who grew up learning about magic.

Class was coming to a close, and just as the professor was wrapping up he decided to give everyone a little homework.

"In the vein of lineage and in the spirit of our new student, I think we would all benefit from getting to know each other a little better. I would like you to work with your table partners to map out each other's lineage. Learn about one another's rich histories! Let's say, due in two weeks. Class is dismissed."

There was a collective groan from the class, but Bella on the other hand was grateful the assignment was simple and one that she could complete.

"I guess you're really stuck with me now," Bella joked to Jacob as the groups started walking towards the door.

"Lucky you, I have a fascinating history," Jacob commented.

"He doesn't really," Emory interjected, "but you're better off than Seth and Leah."

"This is why we shouldn't sit together," Leah argued. "Now an assignment that could slightly be interesting is wasted cause I'm writing about my own family."

"Oh please, we all know that without sitting near me, you'd fail every class," Seth defended.

The two bickered all the way as the group walked out the building with Emory and Quil goading them on with sentences like "remember the time when Seth helped you on that test…" or "remember the time when Leah covered for you…".

"It was nice to meet you, Bella," Seth was able to get out in between the arguments. Quil, Embry, and Leah all said variations of the same as the group walked off towards the nearest parking lot.

"Well," Bella began turning to Jacob who lingered behind, "I guess we should trade numbers. Maybe meet up and work on the project this weekend?"

Jacob nodded in agreement and they began to exchange information when right as they finished Bella heard Edward call out her name from behind.

A smile lit up her face, and she turned to face him. But as Edward started to approach Bella, his expression changed drastically to a dark and guarded demeanor. She was taken aback as she had never seen Edward look anything other than happy and goofy.

She was about to ask if he was okay, but Edward spoke first.

"Black," he muttered in an emotionless voice.

"Cullen," Jacob greeted in an equally passive tone.

Bella could feel the tension rise between the two. Whatever they had going on, she didn't want to be in the middle of it.

"Thanks for all the help again," she said as tried to end the conversation and get the two away from each other.

Jacob hesitate a few seconds before responding, analyzing how closely Edward was standing next to Bella, until something clicked, and a small smirk formed.

"Happy to help anytime. Look forward to seeing you again this weekend," Jacob answered nonchalantly, but he knew his aim was true as Edward's body tensed. He turned and walked toward the same direction as the rest of his group.

Bella steered Edward in the opposite direction and waited till they were safely out of earshot.

"What the hell was that?"

"It's nothing," Edward tried to brush it off.

"That was definitely something," Bella said as she pivoted to face Edward directly.

"Well long story short, our families don't get along."

"What for? He seems nice enough."

"The explanation is a little long. Are you sure you want to hear it?" Edward asked.

Bella nodded in response. Edward sighed and guided them to a vacant bench.

"Jacob is a member of the local Native American reservation. His family along with many others have been living on that reservation as far back as anyone can recount. And they are a very territorial group. I told you I grew up around here, but I wasn't born here. My family moved to the area when I was young. The reservation was already very suspicious of newcomers so that definitely didn't help us get off on the right foot.

"But one day, my dad received an urgent call at his office to come to the reservation to treat a sick woman. I was with him for the day hanging out at the office. But since no other staff were on call, I went with him. We were briefed by the time we arrived that their local reservation doctor was away for the day and the woman had took a turn for the worse. We arrived at a small house in the center of the reservation. We were guided to a room upstairs were the woman had been bed ridden. She looked like she once was young, but sickness had taken a toll on her body. She was very pail, with a constant wheeze, and oxygen tank next to her bed. We knew the diagnosis before her husband told us, cancer. And from the looks of it a very advanced cancer. There was nothing we could do. The cancer was too far gone, and my dad was called in too late. He did his best to make her comfortable, put an IV drip in because she was dehydrated, an small injection of morphine to numb the pain-"

"But what about magic? Aren't there healing spells?" Bella asked.

"Magic can do amazing things, but even it has limits. When your soul and body has been eaten away by disease no magic in the world can help a person recover. No good magic, anyway."

"So what happened?"

"Unfortunately, the woman died within an hour of our arrival. And they ended up placing the blame on my dad. They said he wasn't a good enough doctor and that he accelerated her death. We were kicked out of the reservation and never allowed to return. I promise you Bella, my dad did his best. I was there and watched it all, replayed it more times that you can imagine over the years. There was nothing left to do. But that was never factored in. Anyway, since then our families have never gotten along."

"That's horrible," Bella finally said after a pregnant pause. "I can't imagine having to go through that."

"And you're seeing him this weekend?" Edward asked trying to exude a calm voice.

"Yes, but only because we were paired up on a project for class. You have nothing to worry about." Bella responded.

"I'm not worried exactly, I just hope he doesn't treat you badly cause he knows about us?"

"And what would you call this 'us' ?" Bella asked both interested in the answer and also trying to change the subject and improve the mood.

"Well…," Edward began, not sure how to answer the question, "we…are…very close…"

"Mmhmm, go on."

"And…we are…friendly…"

"Sometimes a little more than that," Bella prodded.

"And…we are-," but before Edward had to suffer any longer, his phone buzzed with a call. He let out a sigh of relief. "Hi Alice!" he answered more enthusiastically than needed. He mimed to Bella it was an important call he needed to take.

Bella was pretty sure she could hear Alice ask him what he wanted for dinner, important her ass, but she let him off with a playful shoulder nudge. While he continued his conversation, Bella couldn't help but wonder how this project was going to play out and what type of person Jacob really was.

Well, she was going to find out soon.


	11. The Hint of Something More

11\. The Hint of Something More

"Come on Jacob! Hurry the f up!" Leah shouted, bouncing on the balls on her feet.

Jacob was conducting a stream of water through a tube made out of paper. If the water touched the paper, they lost and would have to begin again.

The classroom was in disarray. Everyone was split up into teams of four competing against each other in a Rube Goldberg-esque contest. The setup was complex: a Bunsen burner sat underneath a beaker of water. Person number one had to light the burner with enough intensity to boil the water in the beaker. Person number two condensed the steam into a stream of water and through the tube of paper. At the end of the tube sat a rubber ball, the water would push the ball out of the tube, and person number three would use bursts of air to keep the ball afloat until it reach a pot of dirt. Person number four would tunnel through the dirt until the ball reach the buzzer at which point the entire area would instantaneously be reset.

Every person in the group had to conduct each element at least once. The group that finished the fastest won the grand prize of no homework for a week. The exercise was supposed to teach the students the value of teamwork and fine manipulation of their magical abilities, but Bella was sure that the professor did this for pure entertainment value.

Jacob's stream of water dipped for a second, almost touching the paper, but quickly he course corrected.

"Holy shit, my grandma can do this faster than you! And she's practically blind! BLIND, JACOB!" Leah 'coached'.

"Leah, how about you shut the hell up?! I got this!" Jacob declared just as the water touched the ball and Seth took over.

Bella laughed. They were on their last round and Bella finished up with her last element. She had advanced quickly in her first week. But out of all classes, this one was her favorite because she actually was able to use her powers albeit only small games like this, but it was better than nothing. She was beginning to find out she was a quick learner when it came to magic. It never stopped feeling good when the professor or a classmate commented on her skill. Although she would never admit it to his face, she had to credit Edward for all the help.

The rest of the class was just as fiercely competing as Leah was pushing their team. She had never seen people be as concentrated or involved as they were today. Never underestimate the power of no homework.

But despite their best effort, a winning buzzer sounded from a neighbor's team instead of their own. Now on top of the lineage project and Latin homework, they were each assigned elemental work as well, and Leah was not shy to detail the levels of her disappointment.

"Our ancestors are turning in their graves knowing we lost to a member of the McKenzie family!" Leah continued berating the group all the way through campus until they reached their car.

"Oh give it a rest, Leah. The only reason you're upset is because you wanted to watch the finale of your trashy reality TV show tonight instead of doing homework," Quil finally countered.

Leah's eyes minimized to a point. "How dare you embarrass me! I told you about that show in confidence!" As Leah began the physical abuse to accompany the verbal, Jacob turned to Bella.

"Are we still on to work on the project this weekend?"

"Yeah, come by any time on Saturday afternoon. Should be quiet enough that we can finish up the work."

"Great. Do you need a ride home?"

"That's okay, I have a ride."

Jacob's face dimmed a little when he connected who her ride was.

Jacob and Bella met up the previous weekend to begin planning their project. They spent most of the time coming up with a list of supplies, information they would need to gather from relatives, and miscellaneous to put together the full project this weekend. It was inevitable that through their small talk, especially when their project centered on lineage and family, that they encountered the elephant in the room. Anytime the conversation began to skirt around Edward and his family, Jacob would become very sullen and uncomfortable. Bella didn't feel like she knew Jacob well enough to broach the subject; however she did not look forward to having to play middleman in their difficult scenario.

"Okay then. I'll see you this weekend," he replied in a punctuated tone before ushering the group into their cars.

Bella waved to the group as they departed and let out a sigh once they were out of sight. This whole Edward/Jacob issue was going to get a lot stickier, she could feel it. However, she put the issue to the back of her mind because she had something way more fun to play with.

Bella had now progressed to traveling with her grimoire on her person at all times. Since she had some time to kill before Edward was done with classes, she found a corner tucked away from all pedestrian traffic. When she was satisfied that no one would accidently stumble across her, Bella took a seat on the bench and brought out the book from her bag. She was about a quarter of the way through the book. She was able to understand a large majority now thanks to both the school's and Edward's Latin lessons.

Not only was she learning new magic from the book, but she was learning about a side of her family that she never knew about. The scribbles in the margins of the book gave her a glimpse into personalities of people she would never meet. She found sections where family members interacted with each other; she could decipher individuals' dominance, reservations, outspokenness, intelligence, and meekness all by penmanship, boldness of letters, and content of their additions. Bella found herself smiling more than once when she could tell two members were arguing with each other by the amount of times they continued to cross out and write over one another's' suggestions.

Today, she was going to focus on a simple locator spell. The top of the page was titled _invenire_. _To find_. The instructions were short and the spell very simple.

 _invenire et absentis, opus fragmen_

 _To find what is missing, you need a piece_

But the truly helpful and entertaining information was found in the comments. One person wrote 'the stronger the affiliation to the person, the easier it will be to locate, don't forget a map'. Another added, 'if object means more emotionally to the person, spell will be faster'. Yet another, 'Body parts work the best'. 'Probably true, but morbid and makes me wonder how you know…' someone else commented.

Bella laughed, her family was colorful, no doubt. She came prepared and produced a map on her phone and a pair of Edward's sunglasses. Holding the phone in one hand and glasses in the other, Bella whispered, " _reperio_ ".

The phone's screen blinked, each time zooming in further and further on the map until it pinpointed to a small room in one of the buildings on campus.

"Cool", Bella said aloud. Bella practiced a few more times locating her dad, Jessica, and Angela before deciding she had the locator spell down.

It was truly amazing how differently Bella felt. Magic made her feel like she was doing something tangible. She could see her growth physically, mentally, magically with each new spell, after every class, after each practice. With magic, she felt a sense of accomplishment that nothing else in her life could compare.

She closed the grimoire and hugged it to her chest. The magic in her body and the book thrummed happily against one another. It was still just the beginning, everything new to her, but she thought in amazement how she could have ever been content with an ordinary life.

…..

Jacob arrived early Saturday afternoon with laptop bag in hand.

"I'm ready to delve deep into the dark skeletons of your past!"

"Prepare to be disappointed because I can promise you my family history is nowhere near as exciting as you're probably imaging."

Bella directed Jacob to the kitchen table. Jessica and Anglea were out for the afternoon. Angela was studying with Eric, while for any other couple that usually meant making out, Bella was sure Angela and Eric were truly studying. Jessica had already finished her homework and was spending the day shopping.

Bella already had her laptop setup and a template pulled up on her computer. Edward was supposed to come over later and she wanted to avoid having Edward and Jacob run into each other at all costs and, therefore, wasted no time in getting started.

"So what type of element runs in your family?" Bella asked.

"Earth, not to be stereotypical, but most Native American families are Earth. We are a very grounded sort of people," Jacob said jokingly.

As he setup, Jacob went into detail about his heritage. As far back as his family could recall they had lived on the reservation. He had rich history starting with chieftains of tribes, hunters, gathers, slowly transforming over the years to valued members of the community, entrepreneurs, and staples of local business. Jacob had more friends and family on the reservation than he could name. It was obvious he took pride in his culture and his people. Bella was furiously taking notes so she could use the information to shape into a respectable heritage report for the Black family. At one point it seemed like he might steer towards the Cullen debacle, but luckily he avoided it.

"Alright, Swan, you're up. Tell me about your family."

Bella hesitated for a moment. Bella's heritage paled in comparison to Jacob's enormous family.

"Well there's my dad. He was an only child. His parents died before I was born. I don't think either of them came from any distinguished individuals. Although I do think my great-great grandfather might have invented a tool to help weed faster."

"Sounds like a typical non-magic family around here. What about your mom's side? You're Earth too?"

"I am, but I actually don't know anything about the history about my mom's family..." Bella felt embarrassed to say that out loud.

"Hey, look who didn't do their homework! We were supposed to ask our parents this week according to our schedule. Why don't you just call her up now? I don't mind waiting."

"Actually, my mom died when I was little, so not exactly possible."

"Oh shit. I'm so sorry. Man, I'm such an asshole," Jacob apologized.

"Don't be, you didn't know."

"Maybe you have a relative you could call instead," Jacob meekly suggested trying to smooth over his previous comment.

"I don't have any living relatives, as far as I know. My parents moved to the city because they wanted to get away and start somewhere fresh, but my dad never really told me what they needed to start fresh from. I really don't know anything about my family…" Bella trailed off, with a small ache in her chest forming and a curl of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Bella had a strong urge to grab her grimoire, the only concrete piece of history she could trace through her family. More times than she cared to count, Bella had come back to the question of why? Why wasn't there any trace of her history? Why had her mother not left her any clues to these problems when she was able to write the letter? Even though she had found a portion of herself that she never knew was missing, why was she left on this island of magic alone to float aimlessly with no clear direction?

Jacob cleared his throat pulling Bella out of her introspection. She didn't mean to get so lost in her thoughts, but he had an understanding look on his face.

"No worries. So weeds, huh? I can work with that," Jacob recovered.

…..

Jacob pushed the laptop to the other side of the table with an exasperated sigh. "I've been staring at this screen all day. I need to do something."

Bella gave him a pointed look before she continued to type away on her laptop. She was always one of those people that once you started working, she went straight until the project was done. Jacob was the complete opposite, and was beginning his fourth break of the day.

An apple near the edge of the table began to very slowly tilt and roll on its own. Bella looked up from the keyboard and the apple went still. The second she looked down, it began to roll again this time creeping towards her. She glanced again, it stopped. But before she could begin typing again, the apple raced across the table harmlessly rolling back and forth over her hands so she couldn't type.

"Yo, Jacob! Come on!"

"You've been working nonstop, let's take a break, go outside, get some air," Jacob pleaded.

"I see how you could want a break, those other three times just weren't enough," Bella replied exasperated. She snapped her fingers and murmured ' _volant_ ' and the apple went flying towards Jacob's head. He caught it with his right hand.

Well it wasn't as if she gave him much of her family history to make for a dynamic project, so felt like she owed him a little leeway. She sighed. "15 minutes tops and then back to work. And no complaining."

Jacob thrust both hands into the air in victory like an Olympic gymnast.

"Don't make me chuck something else at you," was her retort as she grabbed a jacket from the back of a chair.

As they made their way outside, Jacob started flexing his hand. "For a beginner, your magic can really pack a wallop, I think you bruised my hand."

"I smell another excuse to not work."

"No, seriously. You're working with some intense magic. It's been a long time since I've seen someone with raw ability like that."

"Yeah?" Bella asked with a huge grin she couldn't keep off her face.

"Well don't get a big head about it."

The two naturally drifted towards the path at the edge of the complex. The entire area was littered with colorful leaves, fall hitting in full effect on the trees.

"Do you ever think about doing more with your magic?" he asked in a seemingly innocent tone.

"I thought that's the purpose of being in the League," Bella responded in only a slightly mocking manner.

He rolled his eyes. "More than what the League can teach."

"I've been in school for all about two seconds. Honestly, I've never given thought to magic outside the school. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I'm still shocked that magic even exists."

"Well there's more, a whole lot more. The League is great for the basics, sure, but it doesn't show you the vastness of what there is to learn. I can tell we are similar."

"Are you trying to compliment me or insult me?" Bella laughed.

"Neither, I'm just saying I can see the same drive in you that I have. A drive that none of my other friends can grasp or possess. It won't be long till your caught up with your magical education and classes will begin to bore you because there's no challenge anymore."

"I'm not sure I understand…"

Jacob stopped and pivoted to fully face Bella.

"Imagine magic with no limits. It isn't as black and white as they paint it. There is an entire realm of magic; magic that people like the professors, the Dean, aren't even capable of understanding, and because they can't understand, they're afraid. But you don't have to be afraid! Here, look…" Jacob started scanning the path wildly, until he focused his sight near a bush to their side.

Jacob gestured for Bella to follow, but she didn't get very close because whatever Jacob was standing near gave a very off scent. She angled around to get a better view. It was the decaying body of a dead squirrel.

"Jacob…" Bella hesitated.

"Just watch!" Jacob exclaimed. He started chanting Latin under his breath. It wasn't loud enough for Bella to hear, but a chill started to run down her spine as the ominous words dropped the temperature of the air around them.

It was obvious the squirrel had been dead for a while. The center of its body was caved in, and the closer you got, the stronger the smell of rot would become. Its glassy eyes were perpetually stuck open staring into the abyss. Jacob's voice was becoming louder, his chanting more overexcited. Bella wrapped her hands around her increasingly cold arms as she was stuck staring into the squirrel's eyes, when suddenly the eyes blinked. Bella took a startled step back as magic began to fill the body of the squirrel. It took a breath and its stomach started to fill up, color filled its fur, and its eyes were imbued with life. It blinked a few more times before the squirrel popped up on its feet.

"Holy crap…," Bella whispered. Jacob wiped his hands on his pants and smiled at his work. The squirrel took a few testing steps, and when it found that it was steady on its feet, it joyously began to weave through the leaves and bushes. Bella and Jacob watched as it circled the trunk of a tree until it contently plopped itself on a high branch.

"How is that possible? The first thing any introductory book to magic covers is that you can't do magic like that…bring the dead back to life," Bella commented in awe with a slight twinge of fear, her eyes still tracking the squirrel as it found a nut to chew on.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. These books don't tell the whole truth. _Anything_ is possible! You just need to have the motivation to learn it. Once you open your mind to the magic outside the League's neat little walls, the universe is your playground!" Jacob practically shouted with elation, high off of his magic. He then sought out Bella, his tone slightly frenzied. "I can show you. I can teach you how to do that and more. More exciting magic than you can even conjure up in your wildest dreams!"

"I don't know, Jacob," but even as she said it, Bella could feel her magic perk up at the idea. She knew what he said was right. Bella was picking up concepts, spells, and lessons in lightning speed. She was a sponge, and she was nowhere near reaching her limit. And that type of influence, the potency was like the beginnings of a siren song, and the delicious possibilities made her magic purr…

"That's okay, you don't have to commit anything now. Just know it's an option. When you reach the wall the League says is your limit, I can show you how to push past that wall and help you hone strength and power you never knew existed," he finished conspiratorially.

"Well I'll settle with just finishing our projects for now, let's head back," Bella replied. However, she tucked away the offer into the back of her mind, it was intriguing, and she couldn't deny how fascinating the concept was, but for now, she other more pressing issues to focus on.

Jacob nodded in agreement and they both headed towards the apartment.

The squirrel continued to gnaw on the nut watching the two humans leave the path and walk far out of its sight. The nut was giving it particular trouble, and it was starving, so he tried to nibble a little harder, but the force of its bite suddenly made its tooth sink into its gums. The squirrel brought its hand up to its mouth to inspect what had happen, but as it did the flesh on its hand began to fall off its bones. The squirrel couldn't comprehend much, but it knew that whatever was happening was extremely wrong. Then an excruciating pain hit every nerve in its little body. To an outside perspective, the squirrel looked like it was both seizing and disintegrating simultaneously. After the most painful 30 seconds of its entire short two lives, the squirrel gave one concluding twitch before it succumbed to a final and unbearable death—all that remained was the rotting skeleton, more twisted and putrefied than it was before.

…..

A/N: About a year ago, I was presented with a problem: school, work, and FF – pick two. I am happy to say that school is no longer a factor, and I look forward to giving you all regular updates again!


	12. Physical and Mental

12\. Physical and Mental

Bella was huffing and puffing as she dragged her legs one painful step after another, higher and higher on the steep hill. At first, she was self-conscious, trying to keep her labored breathing as quiet as possible as to not break the illusion of a being a graceful and coordinated person. However, at this point, she could care less and was noisily sucking in as much air as she could get.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Bella whined.

Unintentionally infuriating Bella, Edward stopped and pivoted to face her. His hair just as perfectly sculpted as when they started the hike, not a drop of sweat could be seen on his forehead, and a genuinely happy smile plastered on his face.

"I promise the view is worth it and you did say you wanted to do something different to start the day."

Bella could think of at least four sarcastic retorts but decided not to voice any because it would be a waste of the precious air she could barely get in.

What was supposed to be a leisurely walk in the forest turned into a two hour hike. Bella wasn't the most athletic person in the world, but she could still hold her own except when put up against the behemoth that was this hike.

Bella stopped to survey the hill. They left the shade of the trees a few hundred yards back. She was now on the very last steep slope before the crest. Despite the late fall weather, brisk and cold, the hill was still covered in bushes of wildflowers. Bella took a few seconds to catch her breath as she felt the trickle of sweat trail down her back. Just as she resigned herself to making the last part of the trek, Edward had circled back on the path and was now standing in front of her with an imploring hand.

With the sun shining brightly behind him, his face was haloed in light. Bella was sweaty and dirty, and she was sure there were leaves still caught in her hair from an earlier fight with an overgrown bush, but in that moment, under his sparkling gaze and sole subject of his full attention, Bella felt beautiful. With no hesitation, she threaded her fingers through his. Even after a few months of spending time with Edward, she still felt a thrill and pleasurable quivers radiate through her body at his touch.

Hand in hand, Bella and Edward conquered the last peak of the hike until she was both figuratively and literally breathless at the view. Lush forests, green landscapes, and wild flora as far as the eye could see. In the distance, amongst the sounds of birds and bugs buzzing around, she could hear the flowing of an unseen stream.

Bella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she released it, she could feel her magic flood from the center of her body into the earth around her, traveling through root and dirt and stem and leaf. It hummed happily in her blood surrounded by her element.

It had been a rough couple weeks. Bella was being bombarded with new spells, history, and practice at every turn. While she absorbed all the knowledge like a dry sponge, at the end of each day, she collapsed on her bed so exhausted that her mind was too tired to even dream. Although she loved being immersed in learning every day, it was also so wonderfully refreshing to do something different.

She let out a quiet content sigh now that she caught her breath.

"Told you it was worth it," Edward said smugly. Feeling elated from the view, her thrumming magic, and from conquering the hike, Bella spontaneously planted a quick kiss on Edward's surprised lips. But surprise immediately turned into delight. Ever the opportunist, Edward used his momentum to tug Bella back to him so she slightly stumbled into his arms. He wrapped the hand holding hers around her waist and brought the other to delicately frame her face. He dipped his head against Bella's, kissing her softly. Bella's hand let go of his as she let her fingers travel underneath the lip of his shirt and across his muscles, solid and warm from the exertion of the hike.

Edward and Bella had been spending an increasingly amount of time with one another. No matter how many hours a day they were in each other's company, they only craved more—more time, more flirting, more kisses, more touches.

He pulled her in for a deeper kiss, tongues intertwining, exploring one another. Bella decided to be a little naughty and start fingering the waistband of his boxers near the sensitive regions along his hips. She pressed her body more thoroughly into his, grazing strategically against Edward's front. His hands quickly traveled from her waist, over the thin material of her athletic leggings, and gave her butt a gentle squeeze while simultaneously pulling her closer to an ever growing part of his anatomy. Bella nipped at his bottom lip while simultaneously bringing her hand back around to cup his hardness. She could feel a guttural moan building in the back of his throat and an involuntary shiver run through his body.

Their sexual tension was a delicious slow build that threaten to overwhelm them. No matter how innocent a kiss or a touch would begin, they would always end at this point, mercilessly goading one another to see just how far they could bring themselves to the edge. As much as she sometimes desperately wanted to move past, she also equally enjoyed the thrill of suspense, and she had to admit, she loved playing the tease. But as he pushed that hardness against her thigh and she felt her core pulse with desire, she silently admitted that she wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

He moved his kisses to the sensitive area right below her ear on the nape of her neck, an expert combination of small bites and soothing with his tongue.

She definitely needed to quench this thirst soon.

After a few more minutes of activity that would make her stoic father blush beet red, Edward and Bella found a grassy spot to relax. Edward's back was against a tree stump while Bella lounged next to him, head resting slightly on his shoulder.

They chatted for a little bit about random thoughts before soundlessly sitting and enjoying the scenery. Bella trailed a pair of birds taking flight. The two expertly twirled and danced in the air until they disappeared from view into the brush. She was about to comment on them until she could feel Edward's body tensing. He broke the silence with an audible clearing of his throat.

"I'm not sure if you've heard about it, but there is this event coming up soon. It's corny and very cliché and can be a bit of a mess…"

"Wow, I don't think I've ever heard you ramble before," Bella laughed.

"Well I've never been confronted with such beauty, grace, poise…"

"Oh shut it," Bella playfully countered while gently slapping his hand. But he ended up grabbing hers before she could take it back. She absentmindedly began to play with his fingers.

"It's called the Winter Gala. It's the only formal event the League holds during the year. Everyone dresses up, dinner, dance, you get the gist of it. And I would like to ask if you're interested in being my date?"

"Before I reply, I have a few terms. I'm not one of those simple women, I have needs you know," Bella stated in a stern joking tone. Edward started to break into a goofy grin. Bella continued. "First, I required to be picked up in a carriage with a team of no less than four horses."

"Naturally," Edward replied seriously.

"I must be greeted with a dozen royal blue orchids. I'm not talking cerulean or powder, a true royal blue."

"Of course," he punctuated with a vigorous nod.

"My first dance will only be to a Disney song."

"Absolutely, I would expect nothing less."

"And lastly, but most importantly, I require a dashing, handsome gentleman as my date."

"Consider all of them, especially the last one, done, m'lady," Edward answered with a little bow. Bella let out a full bellied laugh.

"But seriously, I would love to go as your date," Bella finished while planting a kiss on his cheek. Edward responsive look of glowing happiness made Bella's body radiate with joy. After a few more minutes of contentedness, Edward finally pushed himself off the ground, brushing dirt off his pants.

"Alright, enough of your fawning all over me. If memory serves me correctly, it is time for your practice."

While Bella's normal reaction would be to either groan over having to leave such a beautiful spot (especially after the work it took to get there) or send back a snappy quip, this time she did neither and rocketed it up from her sitting position. She had been looking forward to today for weeks. Today, Edward had finally given her the okay to begin learning battle magic.

...

"What we're practicing today isn't for the faint of heart. You're going to sweat. You're going to cry. You may bleed or lose a limb, but by the end, you are going to have the best damn battle magic in the whole world! Are you with me?!" Emmett roared into the clearing.

"Every single fucking time. Why, Emmett? Why do you always have to start with a speech?!" Jasper sighed.

"He can't help it. Braveheart is his favorite movie," Rosalie explained. She and Alice were sunning themselves on beach towels at the corner of the clearing.

"And it's not just any speech. It's a pep talk! I can't very well expect you to jump into the flame without a little encouragement. And just look at her," Emmett gestured to Bella. "Before my inspiring words, she was just a shell. A meek, empty, scared shell. And now: she's ready for greatness!" He clapped his giant hand on her shoulder for emphasis.

"Regret. That is the word that flashes in my mind every time I practice with you," Bella grumbled under her breath.

"I can see the regret all the way from here," Edward confirmed from where he sat on a cushy armchair he conjured from the house. He had a neglected textbook open on his lap, needing to study for an upcoming exam, but he couldn't help but watch and be entertained by Bella's training.

It had been months since Bella first discovered her magic, and she was taking to learning like a fish in water. Despite how exhausted she might be at the end of the day, it didn't stop her from waking up eager to learn more the next morning. Edward's schedule and demands were already complex. He offered Bella every spare moment he had, but it wasn't enough to keep up with her voracious appetite for more. Hearing Bella's dilemma, Edward's friends were more than happy to offer their assistance.

Bella had been rotating training with Jasper, Emmett, Alice, and Rosalie—each one focusing on different aspects or elements. Emmett and Jasper tended to concentrate on physical magic.

"Okay, why don't we start with showing us what you practiced last time?" Jasper helpfully suggested to get the session going. Bella nodded.

She had spent countless hours the past two weeks doing this exact same movement. She clasped and opened her fists a few times on either side of her body. Then she splayed open all of her fingers, palms out. She brought them slowly together in front of her body, with at least a foot of distance in between her hands. Then she slowly turn her hands in a clockwise motion.

" _clipeum_."

From the center of the space between her hands, a growing orb began to grow. As it encompassed her body, it began to take shape like grey netting. Eventually it covered her whole body.

Jasper casually pointed to a rock on the ground and silently commanded it to fly across the clearing. Bella saw it coming straight for her face, she closed her eyes out of reflex, but heard it harmlessly bounce and fall to the ground.

"Great job, Bella. Good looking and effective shield. And it only took about 40 seconds this time. Let's see how far you can extend it."

Bella nodded again and began to pour her magic into the shield. It pulsed once and then it began to grow. 30 seconds later it reached where Jasper and Emmett were standing. Another 15 seconds, she was able to cover the girls. At this point she could feel her magic starting to buckle, like lifting too much weight with a muscle that wasn't used to working out this much.

Edward looked up from his book and gave a raised eyebrow towards Bella's direction. To anyone else, he looked mildly interested, but to Bella she knew this was a challenge. He was the only one not protected by the shield. She could feel him wanting to push her, could almost hear his voice in her head, daring her to go further.

She threw one last push into the magic, but instead of just covering Edward in the shield, it extended the entire opaque netting into the forest as far as her eyes could detect.

Emmett eyes opened wide, slightly taken aback by this pulse of intense power. "Whoa, okay now hold it for at least a minute," he finally directed after taking a few seconds to appreciate the shield.

Bella glanced back at Edward, and he gave her a small grin before concentrating on his book again. It was all the confirmation she needed that he was pleased with her work.

"30 seconds left, and let's see if you can turn it transparent," Jasper proposed.

Bella gathered a deep breath, she could feel that the fabric of her magic shield went far. Much, much farther than she anticipated into the forest. It was going to take another strong push to convert the entire thing to an invisible structure, but a test she knew she was more than capable of completing.

" _indespectus._ "

Starting from her body and arcing out in all directions, the shield began to transform from the grey netting into a completely clear form.

"Fantastic. And that makes it a minute. You can release."

As soon as she let go, the magic snapped back to her body like elastic.

"Let's do nine more rounds," Emmett ordered, slipping into his commander mode. Bella did as she was told, each round extending the shield further and doing it faster. On the tenth try, she was able to immediately conjure a transparent shield, reducing the extra step of shield first then transparency.

"Nice. Shielding should be your go to move for defense. But the fun stuff is the offensive magic. For this exercise, you'll be using Jasper as your target. Eddie's told me you know how to pull out water and freeze it. Now we work on shaping the ice into a weapon."

Emmett then performed an impressive bit of magic. He pulled water from the air simultaneously combining and shaping the liquid until it resembled a spear. He froze it in the blink of an eye and thrust the ice spike at Jasper. Jasper lazily wiped a hand in the air and the ice shattered against his shield.

Emmett worked with Bella until she had her fingerings, Latin, and movements just right. It only took 30 minutes until Emmett had Bella shooting ice javelins from the hip as Jasper darted around clearing using the opportunity to practice his defensive magic. It took a few tries to acclimate to a moving target, but after a few disastrous attempts (ice spear landing in the very tiny space between Alice and Rosalie's arms), Bella was able to get a feel for the flow. It was almost as if her connection with the earth allowed her to anticipate the vibrations of Jasper's pivots and sense of direction his feet would take seconds before he made it. In the end, this gave her an upper hand so every shard of ice hit directly over Jasper's vulnerable areas.

"Are you almost done? We have some real training planned that we would like to start sometime this century," Rosalie asked from her corner, during a break.

"I'm in the middle of something here, you…" Emmett countered in an irritated voice before he realized who he was talking to.

"You, what? Hmm, Emmett?" Rosalie purred in a dangerous, low voice as she pushed herself up from a lying position to stare him down directly in the eyes.

Bella could never get over how amusing it was to see a man of Emmett's stature and strength be physically cowed by a woman half his size.

"What I meant to say was…we are almost done," Emmett responded smartly.

"Good." Rosalie settled back down to her tanning position.

Emmett rotated back to Jasper and Bella; relief was instant on his face while he non-verbally mouthed 'whew'.

"Moving on," Jasper transitioned, "let's end with fireballs today. Simple concept, should be easier than ice, but same idea."

"I think I could be of assistance here," Edward offered, standing up from his chair where he had been diligently studying for the past hour. He stretched out his long limbs as he walked towards the center and Bella took the opportunity to appreciate the ripple of muscle and flash of his toned stomach.

Emmett, at first reluctant to let Edward take over when he was felt the buzz of command, was more than happy to step away after Edward began to help. Last Emmett saw before he turned his head away in disgust was Edward positioned directly behind Bella, his fingers giving almost too much guidance, helping her position _every_ part of her body.

Bella conquered fireballs in no time at all, but she wasn't entirely sure if the heat her body was experiencing was from the fire or something else.

"Alright, enough of this. You guys clear out. Alice and I have it handled from her. Plus it looks like someone needs to take a cold shower," Rosalie snickered as she gave Edward a sly look.

Emmett grumbled, but after Edward gave Bella a quick peck on the lips, the three of them went to go forage for dinner for the group.

Alice gestured to Bella to join them on the ground. She spelled another towel for Bella till all three of them were cross legged facing one another. The lazy afternoon sun showered Bella in warmth. She slowly unfurled her tense muscles, grateful to be sitting after the intensive physical magic.

"Here," Alice snapped her fingers and a menthol pad appeared on her palm, "it helps to stop the cramps later on."

Bella couldn't contain the appreciative sigh as she placed the pad over one of her aching forearms stemming from an overextended twist during the ice practice.

"I don't miss Em's beginner training. I remember how brutal it was. Luckily we're doing something different," Rosalie commented.

"So hand in hand with physical battle magic is mental battle magic. Not that we ever expect you to start some kind of duel, but it is important that you have the skills to succeed if you are ever in that position. You remember the tips from last time," Alice asked.

Bella nodded. She had spent her last few sessions with Alice and Rosalie doing a deep dive into the framework of silent magic—being able to cast without verbally sounding the Latin. It was grueling work. As seemingly everything in magic, silent casting had a long thorough history and the process of casting requiring mental prowess that Bella had yet to conquer.

The last time the three met, Alice and Rosalie tried helping Bella to approach the process from several different directions, however, each try ended in failure. The closest Bella got to a silent cast was when she opened the window in her bedroom during one of her personal practices, but she realized she was very, very quietly sounding the Latin under her breath.

"Great, keep those in mind, but we also figured out a new direction that we think will work much better. We were focused too much on the knowledge aspect, but we forgot to incorporate practicality. This time we are going to use something you're familiar with and start at the very basic level." Alice placed a small rock in the center of her towel. "Silently call this rock into your hand."

Bella stared into the pebble. She focused on hard enough that she could feel her eyes straining. She could see it arcing through the air and landing in her hand. She could picture the exact motion; she could feel her elation ready to burst forth from the gate; she could almost feel the rock in her hand. And yet, nothing.

She remembered their tips. Picturing it in your mind. See all the components interacting: the air, the water molecules, the rock. She could hear herself mentally shouting to move, move, MOVE. Again, nothing.

"Bella, you're concentrating so hard, I feel like an eye is about to pop out or a turd." Bella couldn't stop the surprised laughter that sprung out of her mouth. Out of all the words a delicate and fairy-like person such as Alice could say, turd was the least expected. "Good. You need to relax a bit."

Bella rubbed her eyes as the laughter died. "I'm trying, but I can't seem to get it. You don't know how many hours I've tried to practice. I just feel this roadblock I can't seem to get over," she sighed.

"Try again, Bella, but remember this is a rock that comes from the Earth; your element. While silent commands are different, your action and intent is all the same. You connect to the magic in just the same way," Rosalie coached.

"Okay, okay…" Bella trailed off.

She was right. It should be simple. At the core of the command was still her magic, just a different extension of it. And she knew her magic now more intimately than anything else she had experienced in her life. It actually shouldn't be complex at all. Her magic, her family's element. It should be as easy as _terra_.

And without uttering a single syllable, the pebble rose effortlessly into the air and into Bella's waiting hand.

And the flood gate was open. She started commanding dirt, leaves, water, and air until Bella, Rosalie, and Alice were in the center of a hurricane-like symphony of silent magic. Rosalie and Alice clapped heartily as Bella flexed her newfound magic muscle.

When everything settled back down, Bella's feverish smile was contagious, and Rosalie and Alice couldn't help but bask in the glory of her accomplishment.

"I knew you could do it, you're in the League for a reason," Rosalie winked.

"So what's next?" Bella exclaimed, her blood pumping. "Transfiguration, animation?" Alice was shaking her head with laugher as Bella excitedly ran over the possibilities. "Flying, bringing things back from the dead?" Bella babbled, but the reaction from the girls was immediate and felt like a cold bucket of water was thrown on Bella's good mood. Their smiles dimmed and then completely slid off their faces. They gave each other a serious look, conducting an entire conversation with heated glances. It was Alice who dared to break the silence.

"We are super excited for you to jump this hurdle. It truly is a big accomplishment for any magician of any age to do silent magic. And we are more than happy to keep helping you with your training, but there are a couple things we should go over."

"Magic has the ability to do many extraordinary things including flying," Rosalie offered, trying to infuse positive vibes back into the serious conversation, "but magic also has the ability to do terrible things. The magic we practice is good, officially sanctioned and lawful to be taught. However, there is a more sinister side to magic. We don't fully understand the repercussions, but we know nothing good ever comes from practicing dark magic. Bringing any living thing back from the dead falls squarely under the dark magic side."

Bella glanced from Rosalie to Alice and back again.

"I don't know if I understand," Bella hesitated. "How can giving life, giving something a second chance be considered dark?"

"I get your confusion because you didn't grow up in this world. But remember there is a balance to magic. Whatever magic you conjure must be drawn from somewhere or something else. It is just better to never mix in it," Alice finished.

This explanation left Bella unfulfilled. She still didn't see what Alice and Rosalie were trying to get at, and she still had so many questions. How could you know what was good magic and what was dark magic? And how can it ever be seen as bad to grant a living creature the opportunity to live again, correct their mistakes, pass on good will to others? She truly did not understand, but from the expression on their faces, Bella became distinctly aware that this subject was taboo and clearly made them feel uncomfortable. Despite her unquenchable curiosity, she decided to tuck the topic to the back of her mind. She knew who she could go to, to get the answers she needed.

After a particularly pregnant pause, eager to change the subject, Bella declared, "So Edward asked me to go with him to the Winter Gala." Instantaneously a look of eagerness swept over both women so quickly that dark magic was the furthest thing from their minds.

Rosalie and Alice chattered away, telling Bella how fun the event was, and their antics from previous Galas.

"You have to get ready with us! We won't take no for an answer!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"I'd love to, but I'll have to do a little shopping ahead of time. I don't have anything to wear."

"Don't worry about that. You don't need anything. Just bring yourself to the house a couple hours early, and we'll take care of the rest," Alice added mysteriously trading conspiratory glances with Rosalie.

"Are you sure?"

Both women vigorously nodded their heads.

...

Bella didn't get home until very late that night. The guys brought back four large pizzas, and they all hungrily scarfed down the food trading barbs, jokes, and stories as the sun went down. By the time, Bella made her way zombie-like to her bed, falling face down into the soft covers, the moon was already a quarter of the way through the sky.

Just as she was contemplating drifting off to sleep fully clothed, she heard a tiny knock at her bedroom door.

"Bells?" Angela's quiet voice questioned through the door.

"Come in!"

Bella peeled herself off the soft, welcoming blankets as Angela and Jessica came in. They didn't join her on the bed like they usually would and instead hovered awkwardly around the doorframe.

"What's up?" Bella asked, punctuated with a large yawn.

"We're worried about you," Jessica blurted out. Alice gave her a pointed look, obviously they were hoping for a more subtle approach. Bella sat up straight in bed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well Bells," Angela began, "you're schedule seems off lately. You're gone almost all hours of the day, you don't come home till late like tonight, yet no one sees you around school anymore, and I can't remember the last time someone said they saw you in class."

"We just want to make sure you're okay," Jessica added cautiously.

Bella internally groaned. Yes, her schedule had changed. Her entire world had turned upside down since magic was introduced to her life. But how could she explain this to them, that she withdrew from their university to join the League, that she spent every waking moment consumed with learning magic (and maybe spending time with Edward), and that she was starting to hang out with a different group a people, people more like her. But of course there was no simple way to tell them this, and looking into the eyes of her well-meaning friends, Bella had no intention of risking alienation by telling them the full truth. So instead, she told them what they wanted to hear.

"I'm okay. Truly," Bella added when both of their faces mirrored the same skeptical appearance. "I've been pursuing a new line of study and the research has kept me pretty busy. But I promise, I'm super happy, the happiest I've been in a while."

It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't exactly a lie, which was good enough to appease Bella's guilt.

"Great," Jessica exhaled. They each gave her a relieved hug.

Bella tried to make a mental note to spend time with her friends in the next week, but after Jessica and Angela left the room and Bella could successfully cause the light switch to flick on and off, and clothes to fold without having to verbally speak the Latin, the well-intentioned idea was swiftly forgotten.


End file.
